Sakura Ressentiment
by Dismal00
Summary: Naruto and Sakura return to Konoha after finding that they both love each other, but some of their friends don't trust that Sakura really moved on from her feelings for Sasuke. After a revelation, Sakura starts to find it difficult to be apart from Naruto. Mature themes.
1. The Disagreement

_(AN: This is a sequel to my story_ _ **Special**_ _, which you can find in my profile._ _You should read that first if you haven't, or some things won't make sense. It's a pretty good story and it's less than 10k words. If you like the pairing, you'll probably like it. So go read that first. I'll wait._

 _Oh, you're back? Well, enjoy.)_

/

It had been one week since Naruto and Sakura had returned to Konoha. Naruto had resumed his training to become Hokage and Sakura went back to working at the hospital. Despite this, things had changed greatly for both of them.

The new couple spent as much time together as they could. They were all smiles when they were together. Naruto would bring materials that Kakashi and Tsunade had given him to study back to his apartment, and Sakura would come over and help him study. Her sharp mind was a great help to his understanding of the concepts, and when she was there, the time went by so much faster. He began to wonder how he was ever able to do it without her. They were getting closer every day.

However, not everything was going as they had expected. Naturally, Naruto did have to tell Hinata that he could no longer be with her after he returned. He felt bad about having to do that to her, but surprisingly, it wasn't as emotional of a conversation as he was expecting. He simply explained that he would always love Sakura. Hinata had told him that it was fine and that she could accept it. Naruto then said how sorry he was. But then, Hinata said something that shocked Naruto. She said that she was glad that Sakura had accepted him. She really wanted him to have happiness and she knew that being with Sakura would make him happy. This naturally made Naruto feel worse, because he understood from this that Hinata really did love him. She felt the same way about him as he had felt about Sakura and as Sakura had grown to feel about him. The blue-haired girl only wanted the best for him.

But things seemed to have changed with some of the other members of the Konoha 11. He at times had the impression that people were trying to avoid him. Naruto knew it couldn't be that they were angry about him ending things with Hinata, because she said she was fine with it. It felt almost like they pitied him. But that didn't make any sense, because he couldn't be happier. He wanted to get to the bottom of it, but he doubted it was something he would be happy to learn.

/

Sakura was over at Naruto's apartment helping him study his Hokage materials. They were sitting close together in the middle of a couch in his living room. The papers were spread out on an adjacent coffee table.

"... So, that's how the law should work in practice. I haven't heard of it being used before, but it could be important in the future with the way the world is now," Sakura explained.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan. I really understand this stuff so much better when you're the one explaining it. I don't know if it's because you're so smart, or because you're so beautiful that I can't help but pay attention," Naruto replied.

The pinkette blushed lightly and grinned at him.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere with me, Naruto. But, since you're going to try... Why can't it be both?"

Naruto grinned back at her.

"Because I can't decide... You're just as beautiful as you are smart."

Sakura frowned slightly.

"For most of my life, I didn't believe that."

"I'll keep reminding you every day. Hey, when you talked about the future... Did you think of your future with me in it?"

The pinkette smiled.

"Of course, Naruto... Don't you remember what I told you? I could never live without you. So you're stuck with me. I love you."

"I love you too, Saku-"

And she kissed him.

/

At the Akimichi BBQ restaurant, the Konoha 11 aside from Hinata, Sakura, and Naruto were eating together around a large table. A dog-like man with shaggy hair stopped eating his meal. He had a disgusted expression on his face.

"Man, can you believe Naruto? He seriously gave up Hinata... Hinata! ... For someone who isn't going to want anything to do with him when that guy comes back," Kiba spat.

The table immediately became chaotic, everyone trying to speak at once. Ino stood up from her seat next to Shikamaru.

"Everyone, shut up! Kiba, you're wrong. Forehead isn't like that." she said.

"Yeah? Then why did she never look at him before? She was so crazy over Sasuke. Then he was gone for a really long time and it was just the two of them. She never got with Naruto despite him drooling over her the whole time. Then Sasuke returned and she still wanted him despite all the crap he did. He leaves again and she was obviously waiting for him to come back, but now she just got tired of waiting. She just doesn't want to be alone. She's going to drop him like a bad habit as soon as that guy comes back. Naruto is a complete idiot."

"Look, I don't know. I haven't talked to her much about it, yet. But I know she isn't like that. She wouldn't be with someone if she really wanted to be with someone else. You're being really rude right now."

"It's none of our business whether Naruto is being stupid or not. Just let him do whatever he wants to do," Shikamaru said.

"But it isn't fair to Hinata. She's always been crazy about him and then that idiot throws her away like she's trash for Sakura, when he's not even going to be able to keep Sakura! It's ridiculous," Kiba said.

Seeing that the conversation was being carried on in a somewhat civil way, Ino sat back down.

"I don't think that this is about Sakura for you, Kiba. Why, you ask? Because you're the one who wants to be with Hinata. You couldn't care less if Sakura leaves Naruto. It's just the fact that Naruto is willing to give up something that you want more than anything that angers you. Nothing else," Shino stated.

Kiba glared at him.

"Sure, that's part of it. But I still think that we need to do something about this. Isn't Naruto supposed to be the next Hokage of this village? I may have been jealous of him, and I may think he's an idiot, but we can't just let this happen to him."

"What are we supposed to do? Naruto loves Sakura. Just let it go," Shikamaru said.

Tenten turned to where Lee was staring at his food pensively.

"Lee, what do you think?" she asked.

"I do not know. I am trying to think about what I would do in Naruto's position. I have always had a youthful love for Sakura-san, and I do not know if I could turn her away because of my fears about Uchiha Sasuke. I think I would do the same thing that he is doing," Lee replied.

Tenten raised an eyebrow.

"You mean... Just being happy to be with Sakura however long it lasts?"

Lee raised a clenched fist.

"Yes, Tenten! It's actually very beautiful! The fleeting love of youth. Naruto should hold onto it with both hands!"

Tenten sighed wearily.

"I get the feeling that Kiba is not the only one at this table who envies Naruto right now..."

"I both envy him and fear for him. I feel both of these emotions filling my youthful heart to capacity! I fear I shall explode! Tenten, you must-"

Lee moved to try and embrace Tenten. In response, she punched him into the floor.

"That's enough of that."

Ino cleared her throat nervously as Lee crawled back into his seat.

"Look, I'm sure you guys are wrong. I'll talk to Forehead tomorrow. Please don't say anything to Naruto about this. No matter what, he still loves Forehead. If he's not worried, I want him to stay that way. And certainly don't repeat any of this BS to Forehead if you want to stay safe. She'll kick your ass for assuming that about her," explained the Yamanaka.

"I agree with Ino," said Choji, speaking up for the first time.

Kiba scowled.

"I don't care what you guys do, but I'm still going to talk to Naruto. I want to kick his ass for hurting Hinata either way. If you guys call yourself his friends, you'd try to help him too," he said.

Shikamaru sighed deeply.

"Listen. Even if you're right, this is a lesson Naruto needs to learn on his own. Talking to him about it will do no good at all," he explained.

Ino turned to glare at him.

"What do you mean 'even if you're right'? He's not right! You guys aren't right! What the hell, Shikamaru?" demanded Ino.

"I'm not saying I agree... Ugh, never mind. You've heard what I have to say on this already."

The blonde girl looked around at everyone at the table.

"Seriously, what is wrong with you guys? Have you always hated Forehead or something?"

Quiet mutters of the negative were heard.

"Then what's the problem? Just trust her. Oh, I get it. You think she's not good enough for our hero. She doesn't deserve him. She's just a civilian. Not like our royal highness Hinata," Ino continued.

"Ino, I swear that's not it. But Naruto is a hero of this village. We have to do something. Are we just going to let this happen? He's almost guaranteed to be the next Hokage. It's messed up that we even have to deal with this. Sakura should have just kept waiting for that Uchiha. Either that, or she should have accepted him when that prick was still around. It's so obvious what's going to happen here. Seriously, do you have any idea what this is going to do to Naruto? You think he's going to feel like being the Hokage afterwards? I doubt it," Kiba said.

"Stop acting like you care about Naruto. It makes me sick. If you cared about him, you would have asked him about this instead of doing what you're doing. Shino was absolutely right that it's just your outrage over Hinata. You just don't want to see him happy. And from what you're saying, you definitely don't care about Forehead, who happens to be my best friend. So I'm leaving now. Goodbye."

Ino stormed out. Shikamaru looked at Choji meaningfully. After a moment, Choji got the picture and got up to follow Ino.

Kiba growled in irritation.

"Seriously, am I the only sane one here?"

Kiba looked at the others sitting around the table imploringly, trying to gather support.

"Kiba, it's simply none of our business. It doesn't matter what we think because it's none of our business. It's Naruto's life. I think I'm going to go as well. See you all later," Shikamaru said.

He stood up and walked out. There was an awkward silence at the table. Tenten looked over at Kiba.

"Let's say I did agree with you. What would you even suggest to do about it?" asked the weapon mistress.

"Make him understand that he's an idiot to think that Sakura will stay with him. Make him understand that he was an idiot to do that to Hinata!" Kiba shouted.

"So, your proposal is that we all, as a group, call Naruto an idiot for loving Sakura? I'm sure that will go over real well."

Kiba only glared at her in response.

"I have a question for you, Kiba," Shino offered.

Kiba turned to regard the Aburame with a more neutral expression.

"Okay, shoot," Kiba said.

"It is an interesting question. Why, you ask? Because I do agree with you. I believe you to be correct in your understanding of the situation. However, as I am about to ask this question, I doubt you are going to appreciate that fact for much longer."

The dog ninja's expression began to grow sour again.

"Just say it already. I hate it when you do this."

"Imagine, if you will, that Uchiha Sasuke had never left our village. That he instead remained, and chose to return Sakura's affections at some point. One day, Hinata declares to you that she is tired of waiting for Naruto to return her interests. She wishes to have a relationship with you. What would you do?"

Kiba's eyes moved up and to the left as he pondered this.

"Uh... I would ask her if she would feel like leaving me if Naruto asked her out."

Shino smiled, though it was not visible due to his jacket collar.

"Let us suppose she responds in the negative."

Kiba raised an eyebrow.

"Then I would go out with her. I see what you're trying to do, but Shino-"

The bug ninja interrupted Kiba.

"Is there any reason to think that Naruto failed to do the same?"

Kiba only stared blankly back at Shino. The table fell silent. After some time, Tenten stood up.

"Well, that does it for me. I feel bad for Naruto if Kiba is right, but I don't see any point in getting involved. I'm going to go. Are you coming with, Lee?" she said.

The protege of Might Guy stood to attention at light speed.

"Yes! Let us resume our training and take our minds off of this at once! We must simply have faith in Naruto's youth," Lee replied.

The pair left. Shino was still smiling invisibly at Kiba.

"Well, I still want to kick his ass for hurting Hinata. I'm at least going to do that," Kiba said.

Shino simply nodded and turned back to his meal.

/

It was the next day, and Naruto had no obligations in regards to Hokage training. Sakura had to work at the hospital, so he decided to enjoy himself walking around the village as he thought about what it would be like when he was Hokage. He had been doing so for a while, exchanging greetings with the villagers. When he passed by the Inuzuka kennels, he saw Kiba leaving the building. The dog ninja was walking at a fast pace. Naruto tried to approach him.

"Hey, Kiba," the blonde called.

Kiba turned to regard him with a scowl.

"I would kick your ass for Hinata, but I don't have time right now," he replied.

The Inuzuka started to walk faster away from Naruto.

"Kiba, wait!"

Kiba stopped and turned to face him.

"What do you want?"

Naruto ran up to him and gave him a questioning look.

"Hey, why are people acting weird around me? I don't understand. Hinata isn't that upset over what happened..."

"Hmph. It's because you're a fool."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"What? I'm not a fool."

Kiba's expression soured even more.

"Yes you are. You gave up Hinata for Sakura, when Sakura is just going to end up leaving you for that stupid traitor. And the worst part is that Hinata still loves you, so even after that happens, she's probably going to feel bad for you and take you back. It's so unfair. You're a complete idiot, and yet-"

Naruto's expression became similar to Kiba's as the dog ninja went on.

"Wait! I don't get it. Why do you say that?"

"That you're an idiot? Because-"

"No! That Sakura-chan would leave me for Teme. Why do you think that?"

Kiba smirked in a rather cruel fashion.

"Let me guess, she told you that she wouldn't?"

Naruto stared at him blankly, feeling quite confused.

"Uh... No? She didn't need to say anything like that to me."

Kiba groaned.

"Oh my god. Are you actually so desperate that you didn't even ask? And Hinata is in love with YOU? I can't believe this. Life is so cruel sometimes."

"Desperate...? I don't-"

"Look, I have somewhere to be. I don't have time to explain the obvious to you. Think about it."

Kiba walked off, leaving Naruto in his confused state.

/

Later in the day, Naruto decided to go look at the training fields. He was very troubled with what had occurred with Kiba.

When he arrived, he saw Lee and Tenten practicing with some training dummies. He waved at them and went to join them.

"Hey, you two. How's it going?" Naruto greeted.

"Hi, Naruto," Tenten replied.

"Greetings, Naruto! How are things with the youthful Sakura-chan?" Lee said.

"They're great. We're really close now. I couldn't be happier," Naruto replied with a little bit of defiance.

Lee began to cry theatrically.

"Oh Naruto! What youth! Enjoy every moment to the fullest! With nothing held back in fear of sadness that may come later! I am bursting with adoration for you!"

Naruto gave him a blank stare. He had a sense of deja vu.

"Uh..."

"Lee, shut up. Naruto, I'm sorry. He's just being stupid," Tenten replied.

Naruto looked at her with some relief. The chastised Lee went back to focusing on hitting the training dummies.

"You're right, it is stupid. Tenten, tell me that you don't also believe this garbage about Sakura-chan?"

The weapons mistress looked at him with surprise.

"Well... It's not really any of my business."

Naruto looked off into the distance with a hurt expression.

"So you do..."

Tenten looked at him apologetically.

"No, Naruto, I don't, really. I don't know. It's been talked about, but it's none of my business."

Naruto turned to face her, looking downtrodden.

"I don't hear you saying that you do believe she loves me."

Tenten flinched. She looked at him pitifully.

"Naruto, calm down. I'm sure that she does. I don't think she's gonna leave you for Sasuke. She would be stupid to do that. You have everything going for you. I'm sorry for acting like that."

As Tenten spoke, Naruto felt himself growing angrier. He was glaring at her by the time she finished.

"You don't understand."

Tenten looked at him quizzically.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You don't understand!"

He blasted a hole in a nearby dummy with Rasengan to accentuate this. Tenten gaped at him in shock. Lee stopped striking his dummy and also gaped.

"I'm not worried that she doesn't love me. I know she does. I was worried that you thought that about her. That she'd be with me when she doesn't love me. And you clearly do. And so does Lee. And Kiba. And that makes me angry."

"Naruto..."

The blonde glanced over at Lee for a moment. He turned back to Tenten and regarded her with an almost murderous intent.

"Tell me... Does everyone think the same?"

The wide-eyed Tenten didn't answer right away.

"Do they?! I doubt Neji would have ever been like this. I am so disappointed in you guys. Kiba, I can understand. But you two... I thought we were friends," Naruto spat.

Tenten gave him a horrified look. Lee just kept staring wide-eyed.

"We are! People are just worried about you. They're concerned that you might be hurt. That's all!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Oh... They're trying to protect me from being hurt?"

"Yes... That's all. People just want to make sure that nothing bad will happen to you since you're going to be our next Hokage. If it were one of us, I doubt anyone would make an issue of it. But since you're so important to this village, Kiba was saying that we can't just stand by when you might be-"

Naruto grimaced.

"Shut up."

Tenten flinched before looking at the blonde miserably.

"Naruto... I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to upset you or talk badly about Sakura and I don't think Lee did either. But..."

He looked back at her with no anger, just bitterness.

"Please... Don't say that it's to protect me. I don't know why you're really doing it, and I wish you would stop, but either way, don't say that again. You have no idea what you're doing to me."

"Naruto, I don't understand... I know that you're angry about people not trusting Sakura, but I don't see how it's-"

"I'm not angry anymore. But the fact that people think that about her makes me feel terrible. You don't understand how amazing she is. She could never do what you're suggesting."

The weapons mistress gave him a placating look.

"Okay, Naruto..."

Naruto frowned.

"No, it's not okay. I am so disappointed. I never want Sakura-chan to hear about this. Can you at least tell me who else I need to tell not to try and protect me? Was it just you, Lee, and Kiba?"

Tenten looked off to the side pensively.

"Well... Ino was the one who was defending her when Kiba said those things. Shikamaru and Choji seemed to agree. I guess that would just leave Shino, since Hinata wasn't there?"

Naruto glanced sideways at Lee again before looking back at the girl with buns in her hair.

"Okay. Thank you. Goodbye, Tenten."

"I'm sorry again. Bye, Naru-"

Naruto had flashed away before Tenten finished speaking. She glared at Lee furiously.

"Why did you say that? What were you thinking?"

Lee looked back at her with alarm.

"If he hates us now, I'm not going to forgive you for that stupid stunt. You just had to gush about youth like you always do. Did you see how he was just now? He wasn't worried about Sakura! He was worried about us!" Tenten continued.

"Tenten...! I am sorry... I did not think he would-"

"I told you I didn't want to get involved. I told you! I told you Naruto doesn't like it when you mess with the people he cares about. He's downright scary when you do that. Idiot! Sakura is one of them!"

Tenten stormed off. Lee could only look down in shame.


	2. To Be Happy

The upset Naruto was pacing back and forth near the abandoned Uchiha district. He remembered that Sasuke had stayed in one of these buildings after being released by the ANBU after the war, and Sakura had gone to visit him a few times.

 _I remember what I thought back then_ , Naruto thought to himself.

 _"She doesn't care about me anymore now that he's here."_

 _"She could never love me. Why did she lie to me?"_

 _"I wonder when they're going to get married."_

 _I was so wrong about her. She always cared about me. She always wanted to make sure that I was okay. She really wanted to protect my happiness more than anything. And no one knew. No one knew how she looked out for me. She didn't need anyone to know. Just seeing that I was alright was good enough for her. And it meant so much to her. So much that back when we were chasing after Sasuke..._

Naruto sat down with his back against the wall of the building that Sasuke had stayed in.

 _I got so angry over what Orochimaru wanted with him that I started to lose control of the Kyuubi chakra. And Sakura-chan... She could've just stayed back. There was nothing she could even really do. But she didn't. Why didn't she?_

He started to sob.

 _She could've died because of me... I could've killed her. She risked that for me. Why me? Just because I was upset? Just because I was hurt? How could she have cared that much about me and I didn't even know? Am I stupid or something? She couldn't have been with Sasuke if she died. And she was ready to die, just to try to end my suffering. My life wasn't even in any danger. I was just hurt. But she cared so much for me, she couldn't stand my being hurt. And I never even knew. She didn't see any need to tell me._

He was weeping into the gap between his knees as he sat curled up into a ball.

 _Then during the war, she saved my life... And without me, Madara would have won... So she saved everyone... She saved the world._

He started to shake a little, as if he was very cold.

 _And how did it repay her? How did everyone repay her? Just because she cared for Sasuke, they assume that she can't be trusted. That she's capable of hurting her friends. Hurting me. When she's only ever helped them. She wanted to help me more than anything. So she became a great medical ninja. To heal her comrades. To heal me. But she's supposed to be so cruel. As if the instant Sasuke returns, she's only going to care about him again. When she was never really like that. Why the hell did I think she was like that? Even when he was still in the village, she still took care of me. She still helped me._

 _How did I repay her for everything that she did for me? I didn't. I thought the same as them. I was no different. I thought she cared so much more about him than she did about me. I thought she only wanted him. Even when she saw that I was longing for her, and she offered to be with me instead of him, because she wanted me to be happy again... Because that was so important to her... What was my first thought?_

 _"I can't agree to this. She's just going to leave me for him as soon as he comes back."_

 _And I said as much to her. But did that lack of trust make her angry? Did the fact that I thought she was willing to hurt me that badly, even though she would've done anything to protect me from harm, make her angry? No. She wasn't angry. She kept trying to find a way. She was willing to go on a stupid trip with me just because I didn't believe in her. And not once did she ever give up on me. She was so patient with me. She was trying her hardest to love me. I wasn't even willing to open up to her at first because I was scared of getting hurt._

 _Sakura-chan would never have treated me like I treated her. She wouldn't refuse to help me because she might get hurt. I wasn't even willing to give her a chance unless she proved that it was worth my time. Even though I was the one who needed the help. And I didn't make it easy for her. But she kept trying, because she cared so much about me. Why me? I didn't trust her. I had no faith in her. I assumed the worst about her. How could I have claimed to be in love with her? I never heard her assume something sinister about Sasuke. She always thought he had better intentions than he really did._

Naruto used his sleeve to clean his face and looked up at the sky.

 _She said she'd rather die than stand and watch me be hurt. But I didn't trust her not to hurt me._

A stray cherry blossom petal floated in from overhead, dancing in the wind.

 _I wonder how that made her feel. What does it feel like when the person you care about most doesn't trust you not to hurt them? Why did she act like it was okay?_

He chuckled bitterly.

 _Haha... She's given me everything, now. Everything she had to give, she gave it all to me. She risked her life for me, could've died for me, and that wasn't enough. She saved my life and that still wasn't enough. Because I wanted her to love me. Without her love, I wasn't going to be happy. Because I've always been in love with her. So what did she do when she realized that? She gave me her love so that I would be happy. And now, I've gotten everything I wanted from her. When I didn't even trust her. When I didn't even believe she cared about me. She had to give me everything she had to give before I finally believed she cared. And I took all of it! Without even thinking about how wrong I had been, I took it. I took her love because I wanted to be happy. Why, Sakura-chan? Why did you let me do it? Why did you love me...?_

Naruto finally pulled himself to his feet.

 _... When I didn't deserve it?  
_

 _/_

After the troubling conversation in the restaurant the previous day, Ino had decided to go talk to Sakura during her lunch break at the hospital. She left the flower shop in the care of one of her cousins and made her way to the hospital. She found Sakura inside the hospital cafeteria and went to sit down at her table while wearing a casual smile. This was something that the pair had done numerous times, so it didn't come as much of a surprise to Sakura when Ino did so.

"Hey, Ino-pig," Sakura said, looking somewhat uneasy.

"Forehead. Hey, what's wrong?" Ino replied.

"I don't know. I feel really stressed out. I'm really anxious and I don't know why."

Ino raised an eyebrow.

"Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened. Everything has been great, actually."

"With Naruto?"

The pinkette finally smiled.

"Yeah. We are great. The two of us, I mean."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that, actually."

Ino grinned. Sakura cocked her head to the side.

"Really? Okay, you can ask. I don't promise to answer everything, though."

"Okay, well... Do you love him?"

Sakura nodded.

"Of course. At some point, I realized I would do anything for him, and after that, things happened. As a result, I'm in love with him."

Ino looked at her inquisitively.

"What things?"

"Well, as it turns out, a long time ago, Naruto did something that gave me the wrong idea about Sasuke-kun, and caused me to fixate on him for longer than I really should have."

Ino's eyes widened.

"So, when you found out what Naruto did, you fell in love with Naruto?"

"Well, no. I would have loved him either way. But now that I know about that, it's crazy how much I love him."

Ino nodded.

"I see. Most people think that you're still crazy about Sasuke-kun."

Sakura chuckled.

"Haha. Well, I'm not anymore. In a way, I never was. Because that had always been Naruto back then, and I just didn't know it."

Ino frowned at her.

"Are you going to tell me what this something actually was?"

Sakura grinned widely.

"Nope. It's embarrassing."

"I bet Naruto would tell me."

"Not if I tell him not to tell you, he won't."

Ino sighed.

"Sometimes I hate you, Forehead."

/

Naruto had mostly recovered from the anguished state he was in. He was trying to figure out what he should do about this. He wanted to prevent Sakura from finding out at any cost. His options were to either find Ino, in hopes that she could help him, or to track down Shino and figure out what he intended to do about this, if anything. It didn't really seem in the bug-man's persona to really bother with something like this, but Naruto didn't want to take any chances. He decided to try looking for Ino at the flower shop first. He had no idea where Shino would be at this time, other than possibly at the compound that the Aburame use.

When he arrived at the flower shop, he questioned the individual working the register about where Ino was. They replied that she probably went to the hospital to visit Sakura. Naruto decided that this option would not work for him presently. If he asked Ino for help while Sakura was there, the pinkette would definitely suspect something.

He decided to go look for Shino. As he was on his way to the Aburame compound, he passed by the training fields. He heard the sound of many buzzing insects. Heading in that direction, he found Shino inside a grove of trees in one of the training fields. The Aburame, a natural sensor, noticed him quickly as he approached and turned to face him.

"Hey, Shino. I need to talk to you," Naruto stated.

"Let me guess. You talked to Kiba," replied the bug user.

Naruto frowned.

"Well, no, it was Tenten. I mean, I did talk to Kiba, but-"

"Sakura."

"What?"

"You wish to talk to me about Sakura. So, talk."

Naruto frowned more deeply.

"Uh, okay. Look, I don't want you to-"

"You have nothing to fear from me. It's none of my concern."

Naruto glared at the placid Shino.

"Listen, Tenten said that-"

"That I do not believe in Sakura. I don't, but it's none of my concern."

Naruto's eyes flashed red.

"Stop interrupting me! And why don't you?! What the hell is your problem?!"

"Naruto-san, I don't know her very well. I don't know any of our class very well except my teammates. Why, you ask? It is because the Aburame generally do not-"

"I don't care why!"

"All right. What I know of Sakura is that she was the top kunoichi of our graduating class, she has medical skills acquired from the Godaime, she is a member of the Haruno, a pink-haired civilian clan of craftsmen and merchants, and-"

Naruto punched a nearby tree, tearing it out of its roots.

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT!"

"And for her entire ninja career, it's been common, and recorded, knowledge that she believes herself to be in love with Uchiha Sasuke. As a consequence, I, as an Aburame, cannot trust her intentions in this matter. Why, you ask? The Aburame value logic above all else. If she is in love with him, how can she be in love with you? It seems most improbable that within the last two weeks, she has not only ceased to be in love with him, but also fell in love with you. Therefore, I do feel concern for you as you are our likely next Hokage. However, while I feel concern, I choose not to act on it. So as I said previous to this, you have nothing to fear from me."

Naruto's response was a blank stare.

"But that's... Well, okay. Uh... Is there anything you can do about Kiba?"

"You should talk to Hinata about that. She would be far more likely to be of use regarding Kiba than I would be. Why, you ask? Because Kiba is infatuated with Hinata. She would also be far more likely to help you than I would be. Why, you ask? Because Hinata is either in love with or infatuated by you, while I am-"

Naruto grimaced in frustration.

"I. Didn't. Ask."

"I apologize. It is a common habit among the Aburame. Why, you-"

Naruto had murder in his eyes as he stared at the bug ninja. This was something Shino could see as well as sense.

"Ahem. At any rate, I fear I have little left to offer you as far as aid in this matter."

The blonde walked off without so much as a nod in Shino's direction.

/

In search of Hinata, Naruto went to the Hyuga estate and spoke with the guard outside. He was a very tall Hyuga wearing the typical white attire of the clan.

"I need to speak with Hinata," he stated.

"Uzumaki-san, now is not an opportune time. However, she had expressed a desire that should you ever wish to see her, arrangements should be made at the soonest possible convenience for both parties. Be aware that this order of hers was made when you were still seeing each other in hopes of making it easier for you. Despite the fact that you no longer have such a relationship, Hinata-sama specifically requested that the order not be changed or rescinded."

This made Naruto feel somewhat guilty. It would have had more of an effect on him if not for his earlier collapse in the Uchiha district.

"Uh... Okay. I want to see her."

The guard frowned almost imperceptibly.

"That was understood. Please be at your residence at 1800 hours."

"Hinata will come?"

His frown grew distinctly perceptible. Naruto failed to notice.

"Yes, Uzumaki-san. Hinata-sama will come. Is there anything else?"

"Uh... No?"

"Then please be on your way, Uzumaki-san."

Seeing no purpose in remaining, Naruto went on his way.

/

It would be a while before he would have the opportunity to meet with Hinata. He decided to try the flower shop again in hopes of getting help or advice from Ino.

Ino was back to working the register and saw him as he walked through the doors. She greeted him with a beaming smile.

"Naruto! It's great to see you. I talked with Forehead. You really did good. You've made her so happy, Naruto!" Ino gushed.

He looked at her somewhat miserably.

"I really wish she could stay that way. I don't know what to do, Ino," Naruto moaned.

Ino watched him with concern.

"About what? What happened?"

"Well, do you know anything about something Kiba said yesterday?"

The Yamanaka nodded.

"Oh, that? Yeah. It's not a big deal, Naruto. Forehead really loves you. Sasuke-kun is in the past for her. Do you think I could get him now?"

Naruto gave her a desperate look.

"No, that's not what I mean. I don't want her to find out that people are thinking badly about her. She doesn't deserve that. She's done nothing but good things for this village, and she's nice to everyone. Why the hell do they think that way about her?"

Ino furrowed her brow.

"Well, I don't know. I think a big part of it is the whole issue with Sasuke-kun deserting the village. That reflected badly on her for sure, but it never came up until now, really."

"Wouldn't it have reflected badly on you, too?"

Ino laughed.

"For some reason, people took her a lot more seriously. We both said that we loved him, but everyone thought Forehead was hopelessly in love with him while I just had a very strong infatuation or something. Now look what happened. Forehead is out of the game, but I still love him. It's funny how things happen sometimes."

"I just feel so bad. I thought the same thing about her for so long. I thought she would do anything to be with him and she didn't care about me that much. So if things were different, I would've been thinking just like that idiot Kiba. So I feel so guilty now."

Ino raised an eyebrow at the miserable looking Naruto.

"Is it really so bad, Naruto? I mean, Forehead didn't give you a reason to think anything different until recently, right?"

Naruto slouched hopelessly.

"I'm pretty sure she did... I should have known better. I should have paid attention. But I didn't..."

"Well, it's not going to help to feel guilty, Naruto. Why would Forehead be mad at you now? If she ever was mad about that, she's over it now. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that this happened. But I really doubt anyone is going to say anything to her. Maybe Kiba would. But it's not like Forehead cares about what he might have to say."

"Okay... But I still feel bad."

"Hey, Forehead made me promise that next time I saw you, I would tell you that she's still waiting."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Still waiting...? What does that mean?"

Ino pouted at him comically.

"I don't know! She said you're supposed to know."

/

When he had finished making conversation with Ino, he returned to his apartment to rest and wait on Hinata to arrive. He thought about the last thing Ino had said.

 _She's waiting for... me to do something, I guess? Have I forgotten something important?_ Naruto wondered.

Hinata arrived a few minutes early. Naruto heard her walk up to the door. He opened it to allow her inside.

"Hinata, hi," Naruto said.

Hinata smiled weakly at him.

"Hi, Naruto-kun... How are you?" she replied.

Naruto frowned.

"I've been better... I need to talk to you about something."

Hinata swallowed and nodded nervously.

"It's about Kiba... Apparently, he hates me now. And I'm worried that he's going to say something to Sakura-chan about Sasuke... Can you just make sure that he doesn't?" Naruto asked.

"I can try... He usually listens to me."

Naruto smiled almost as weakly as she had.

"Okay, thanks. That's a load off my mind. I was feeling really bad about this."

Hinata watched him inquisitively.

"Naruto-kun... I did hear about what was discussed from Shino... But I don't understand. You told me you weren't worried about Sasuke-san at all. But if you're not, why is this hurting you so much? I'm really worried about you."

Naruto sighed.

"I'm not upset by what they're saying. I'm upset about what this says about me. It makes me feel incredibly guilty to hear them assume the worst about Sakura-chan."

"But... Why would that make you feel guilty?"

"Because I should be the same as them. The only reason I'm not is because she cared too much about me to tell me that I didn't deserve her kindness, so she eventually got through to me."

"But why wouldn't you deserve it, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto frowned.

"Because she cared so much about me. You don't understand, Hinata. Sakura-chan risked her life for me. She saved my life. Among other things. And she didn't care about being recognized for it. She didn't even want to be with me. She only did it because she really cared about me. She didn't want anything from me. She just wanted to make sure that I would be alright. And I still assumed the worst about her. She would have done anything to protect me from being hurt, but I immediately assumed that she would hurt me the first chance she got. I'm scum. I don't deserve to be loved by her."

Hinata looked down thoughtfully.

"But, Naruto-kun... Isn't it Sakura-san's choice who she loves?"

Naruto looked at her blankly.

"I thought you were going to slap me."

"But I don't see how that could possibly help you?"

"Never mind. Of course it's her choice. But why would she choose me? Why didn't she choose Sasuke? He may have hurt her, but he was an enemy at least when he did that. And he still didn't assume disgusting things about her. I was her friend, the person she cared most about, and yet I did."

"Naruto-kun... You keep saying you're horrible for assuming those things about her after she cared for you and did those things for you. But why did she do any of that to begin with?"

Naruto's eyes moved up and to the left in thought.

"Why did she choose to care about me and help me...? I don't know. Was it really a choice?"

"On some level, no matter how you feel about a person, you always have a choice. That is why I didn't get angry at you when you returned with Sakura-san. Inside, I did feel very upset at you, but I didn't let you see that, right?"

Naruto's eyes widened.

"No, you didn't... Hmm. Wow... Well, I guess it was because I was her friend."

"How did you become her friend?"

"We were assigned to the same team, and I really liked her, so I kept trying to get close to her."

"Did she also like you back then?"

Naruto frowned.

"No... Not really."

"Why didn't she like you?"

"She thought I was a person who just liked to annoy other people, get in their way, and cause problems."

"Okay... And was she right about that?"

"No...?"

Hinata smiled.

"So, isn't it fair to say that she also assumed the worst about you? But you still gave her a chance. You still cared about her. You still tried to be her friend. You still risked your life for her. And I know better than anyone that you still fell in love with her. So Sakura-san... No, Sakura-chan is just returning the kindness that you showed her."

Naruto gaped at her.

"Hinata... You're actually really amazing."

Hinata blushed, but kept the kind smile on her face.

"I'll tell Kiba to keep his mouth shut. Good night, Naruto-kun."

"Night..."

She waved and walked out, shutting the door behind her. Naruto collapsed on his couch, overcome by all that had occurred. He felt himself fall asleep.


	3. Sakura Ressentiment

He was awoken by a pleasant tapping sound on his door. He recognized it as the way that Sakura knocked. He jumped up to open the door for her.

Sakura smiled when she saw him. She was carrying a small bag.

"Hi, Naruto!" she greeted warmly.

Naruto smiled as well, but it was less beaming than hers.

"Sakura-chan... What are you doing here?" he replied.

"I decided to surprise you. I know Kakashi-sensei didn't give you any work today, but I wanted to spend time with you anyway! May I come in?"

"Of course..."

Naruto's voice was trembling slightly. The great sense of relief that he felt to see Sakura smiling at him, happy to see him, as if nothing had happened to him today, as if he hadn't been wracked by guilt. It felt overwhelming.

The pinkette walked in. She tossed the bag on the couch and sat down next to it. She glanced at him to see that he was still standing by the door and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Naruto, what are you doing? Come sit with me."

He did so, sitting about a foot away from her and smiling awkwardly. She scooted closer to him and rested a hand on his arm, as if to verify that he was really there.

"You know, I really missed you. Every day, I miss you. It's starting to scare me how much I want to be around you nowadays. I talked to Ino about you today. You really do make me happy, Naruto," Sakura said.

The warmth that Sakura was showing him was having an almost dissociative effect on him. Hinata had made him feel better somewhat, but listening to Sakura's words brought back the sinking feeling. In a way, though it was impossible, he had expected Sakura to be angry at him the next time he saw her. And this was the exact opposite of that.

Naruto just blinked at her. She stared at him, green eyes soft with concern.

"Naruto... Did something happen today?"

He gulped. He didn't know how to begin explaining.

"No..."

Her eyes narrowed, though her expression was still pleasant.

"... Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you lying to me?"

Naruto blinked and felt moisture in his eyes.

"Yes... I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan. I'm just... sorry."

He was gripping the fabric of his pants tightly with both hands. Sakura glanced down at them.

"For lying to me?"

"No, not for that... Sakura-chan... Well, I'm sorry about that too... But Sakura-chan... I'm..."

He looked away from her and down at his hands.

"Naruto, calm down. Whatever's wrong, it can't be that bad. Take a deep breath. Didn't I say I would take care of you?"

She gently took his hands and moved them over to his sides. Then she rubbed his back in slow circles.

This type of affectionate behavior still felt new to him from Sakura. Sometimes, it felt like she was a different person from that girl he had spent so much time with and done so many missions with as a team. It was both exciting and alienating. He relaxed somewhat as she continued to speak.

"You were really tense. Okay, just try to relax and tell me what's bothering you. I'm here for you. I said I would take care of you and I will, Naruto. I wasn't just saying that. I know not everything is easy for you. I know life has been hard on you at times. But I'm here now. I'll always be here. And I'll always help you. Naruto, I promise," she continued soothingly.

Her calming words of support were slowly making him lose control of his emotions. To hear this from her, the girl he thought would abandon him like so much trash for the one she really wanted, made him feel like crying. So he did.

"It's just... It's..."

She decided it would be better to wait for him to get it out rather than interrupt him. She calmly watched him while continuing her ministrations.

"I feel so bad," Naruto finally said.

"But why, Naruto?"

"I feel like... I was horrible to you."

Her eyes widened.

"... How can that be, Naruto? You've always treated me like some kind of princess. Even when I didn't deserve it. And back when we were kids, I was cruel to you for no reason... If anything, it's me who was horrible to you. So how can you say that?"

"When we were on that trip together... Why didn't you get mad at me?"

Sakura gave him a puzzled look.

"Are you sure that I didn't? I remember getting frustrated at times."

Naruto turned to look her in the eyes, a somber expression on his face.

"No, I mean really mad. Like... Furious."

She cocked her head at him. Seeing that he had better control of his speech now, she stopped her ministrations to pay more attention to his words.

"Why would I have gotten really mad? That was one of the best times of my life. We shared our fears and insecurities and made each other feel better about them. We laughed together. We talked about old stories from the past... Naruto, I fell in love with you. I promised to love you and I did. It was so beautiful. I felt so good about myself. I saved the person who I cared about the most when they needed me more than ever. How could you possibly think I would have had reason to be furious?"

Hearing her profess his care for him yet again made him feel choked up. He blinked the water away from his eyes.

"Because... Because... I didn't trust you with Sasuke."

"You mean you didn't trust that I didn't still love him? Naruto, I still did love him until we talked to him. Didn't I say that? I loved you both. But I was choosing you. I had to choose you. There's no way I could've lived with myself otherwise."

Naruto sniffed, as his nose was starting to run.

"No... Not that."

"What, then?"

"I mean... I thought that you would end up hurting me. I thought you didn't really care about me. I thought you would leave as soon as he came back without caring what happened to me. When you cared about me so much. I had no right to think that about you."

She smiled at him softly.

"Naruto, you were in a bad place. You were really hurt over me and him. It's normal to worry about or even really believe that such things will happen. It doesn't bother me."

Naruto became even more choked up. He couldn't blink the tears away anymore.

"No...! I thought that the whole time... The whole time I've known you, I've thought that... When you did so much for me... When you even risked your life... When you even saved me... I thought that you didn't really care about me... I thought you only cared about him... Sakura-chan, I'm so sorry... I didn't deserve how caring you were... I didn't deserve your kindness."

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Naruto..."

"I don't deserve to be loved by-"

"Naruto, please don't say that! It's okay. I never told you what I was thinking. I kept it to myself... It's partly my fault. I should have said something."

Sakura had scooted even closer so that their sides were touching. She wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer to her. Naruto sniffed and wiped his tears. He was starting to recover now that he had finally managed to say it.

"But... You never did anything... You never did anything to make it seem like you didn't care. You always spent time with me. You were always nice to me. You didn't even talk about him that much after I came back. Why did I assume the worst about you?"

He still looked a bit downtrodden. His voice was cracking slightly. Sakura let out a soft sigh.

"Naruto, I don't know. But didn't you think that no one cared about you because of Kurama? And that you couldn't help but to keep thinking that? Maybe you couldn't help but apply it to me."

She was still speaking gently. Naruto looked at her with alarm.

"No... It's not an excuse. You didn't do anything other than having feelings for Sasuke. I had no reason to assume that just because you cared about him, you didn't care about me or if I'd be hurt. You protected me from being hurt as much as you could. You worried about me so much. I'm so disgusted with myself. I didn't have any right."

The pinkette frowned as she leaned her head against his shoulder. She had a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Naruto... I don't know why you're being so hard on yourself. It's not like you were ever rude or mean to me over these beliefs that you had... I didn't know about them, so how could they hurt me?"

"That's not true... You did know. Before we went on that trip, you were telling me that you'd be with me instead of him. Because you cared too much about me to let me be hurt. And I didn't trust you. I didn't believe you."

"But, Naruto... You were just scared. Because you felt so strongly about me, you could've gotten really hurt if I betrayed you. You were trying to protect yourself, that's all."

"But you were my friend for so long... I should've trusted you not to hurt me. What is wrong with me?"

Sakura poked him in the ribs playfully. He flinched, but remained somber.

"I'm not sure that you ever wanted to look at me as a friend. I was just Sakura-chan. If you didn't feel that way about me, I'm sure you would have trusted me, Naruto. So it's fine. I can understand why you thought that way."

"But you did so much for me... I should've had faith in you. I didn't return the favor. I don't deserve to be forgiven."

Sakura grinned lightly.

"Okay. I'll never forgive you, then."

Naruto was worried to hear this. He felt like he really needed to hear that she forgave him before he could move on from this. He looked at her with determination in his eyes.

"Sakura-chan... I'm willing to do anything for your forgiveness."

Sakura removed the arm she had wrapped around him as she sat up straight. She glanced away from him and spoke casually.

"No, that's okay. I'm not yet ready to forgive you. Maybe I never will be."

Naruto looked a bit more desperate.

"Sakura-chan, please... I'll do anything. Please give me a chance."

She put her fist under her chin in mock thought.

"Okay, I'll forgive you if you can do something for me."

"Sure, just name it."

The pinkette lowered her hand and gave him a serious look.

"Wait! If you fail to do this, I'm going to leave. And I might not come back for a while. And I'll definitely never forgive you for thinking that about me. Are you sure you want to try?"

Naruto thought for a moment before answering.

"If it's for your forgiveness, Sakura-chan, I could never run away."

She nodded and gazed at him nostalgically.

"Understood. Go stand over there."

She gestured with her arm, indicating an area a few feet in front of the couch. He went to stand where she had pointed.

"Alright, listen. I'm going to stand in front of you and close my eyes, and then I want you to do something. But I won't tell you what it is I want you to do."

"So if I do the wrong thing, you're never going to forgive me? And I only get one try?"

Sakura nodded.

"Yes. You said you wanted to accept this. I would have forgiven you in a couple days. You didn't need to agree to it."

"Oh... I thought this was the only way."

She got up off the couch and stood in front of him.

"No, I lied. But I bet you can do this. I believe in you. You'll always be my hero, Naruto."

The pinkette closed her eyes.

Naruto thought to himself. He really had no idea what Sakura wanted him to do. The way things looked, she was never going to forgive him. As a consequence, she would never forget about the way he had thought of her. Like some desperate woman who cared only for Sasuke at the expense of everyone else who was important to her. Someone who would probably end up raising Sasuke's bastard child as he never bothered to come home.

It had been so wrong of him to think that Sakura was like that. And as a result, their relationship probably wouldn't last. She would always think about how disgusting it was that he thought that about her. Eventually, she wouldn't be able to touch him. Then she wouldn't even want to look at him. He completely lost hope. He was going to lose the love of his life, and he deserved it. He felt it was a good thing he was so foolhardy, as he could've avoided this situation by rejecting Sakura's offer. Yes, he was very satisfied now. He was getting what he deserved for the cruel way he had underestimated her. The one person who cared about him more than anyone else.

This was only right.

Naruto gazed at her, memorizing exactly what her face looked like. This was the last time he would get to look at it while he still had a chance in theory to save his future at her side. And Sakura was giving him just one last chance to touch her without having to know that he would soon lose her forever. He wondered what he should do with it. He might as well do that thing he had always wished he could do in the times when they were both much smaller. He had been saving that for a special occasion, but it was unlikely that any such occasion was in his future with Sakura. This would be his last chance. He sighed sadly.

Then he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

It was ironic, he thought, that he found such a feature so beautiful. He had been so bitter and cynical as to assume that only dark and covetous intent resided in the organ beyond. When in actual fact she had been nothing but beautiful and pure, like a freshwater river or a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. But this was a part of nature he could never visit again. He was going to have to return to society, where there were many others with despicable thoughts like him. But no one else like Sakura. He was sure of it. She was such a rare gem. He knew he would never see her like again. If only he had been a better man. If only he'd been secure in himself.

But somewhere along the way, something went wrong. And Naruto knew exactly what it was. It wasn't a traumatizing experience or a battle he had lost. It was only his best friend, Uchiha Sasuke. His brother in all but blood. He had seen the corruption in Sasuke, and he believed he had never let it touch him. But Sasuke had brought a different type of darkness to his doorstep. The taint of jealousy. He had always loved Sakura, and Sasuke had always been his best friend. But he always wanted to have what Sasuke had. And he wanted to have Sakura. To do that, he came to believe that he would need to be Sasuke. He had let their rivalry contaminate too many aspects of his life. It turned him into something else. A cynical man who believed that he had no chance against someone like Sasuke, because the world wasn't fair. As long as he was still Naruto, Sakura's heart would never be open to him, never beat for him. Sakura would always long for Sasuke no matter what he did against her. She would never look at Naruto. Not unless he became Sasuke.

That was what he believed.

Back then, Sakura and Naruto had both been pure. That young girl with the lovely forehead that he wanted to kiss back then, with the beautiful naive soul that she had. Him with his endless idealism and hyperactivity, always such a prankster. That boy would never have had such wrong thoughts about her.

 _She likes Sasuke now, but once she learns how awesome I am, she'll be all mine!_

Surely that's what he would have thought. He had been so innocent and pure. But Naruto grew up. Naruto became jaded. And Naruto did the one thing he always swore he would never, ever do. He gave up. It was hopeless, he felt. Sakura would always love Sasuke. It was time to move on and find someone else. Someone who could love him, who wasn't hopelessly bound to another. Sasuke had poisoned his life, heart, and soul. He wasn't pure anymore. He was corrupted, and there was no going back. But that little girl had grown up too. She became a beautiful woman. And as she did, Naruto lamented the dark longing for Sasuke that he knew must still dominate her heart.

But he was wrong.

As she grew, the girl kept thoughts of Naruto in her heart. While she felt just as attached to Sasuke as she always had been, she could never bear to allow it to be at the expense of Naruto. She was so very fond of him. She cared so deeply for him. She wished so much that he would be happy. Sometimes she even thought she wanted to be with him in the way that only those who love each other can be. To let her long-held feelings for Sasuke push Naruto out of her heart was something she would never allow. He was too precious to her. She was too excited to know him. To be his close friend.

And though her feelings for Sasuke remained implacable like the full moon, more thoughts of Naruto appeared as time went on. Until the girl, now a woman, became fully convinced. Naruto, with his youthful smile and endless energy, became the greatest, most important star in her sky. He was the sun to her. Sasuke could never be anything more than the moon. And the moon had no chance to outshine the sun. Sakura was overcome by his brilliance. She would never return to the dark. She didn't want Sasuke anymore. She wanted Naruto. Sakura loved Naruto more than anything. She had truly learned how awesome he really was. She couldn't wait to share her life with him. She felt like they were soulmates. They were going to be so happy.

But something tragic had happened. That Naruto, who had wanted to be Sasuke, because he loved Sakura so very much... He hadn't waited for her. He hadn't believed in her. He had long since been convinced that she only wanted Sasuke. And that had disqualified him.

That Naruto, Sakura's Naruto, was gone.

Because he assumed the worst. He believed Sakura could never love him, and he got exactly what he expected. When Sakura tried her hardest to show him she cared. That she could love him. That she wanted to love him. All he would have had to do was believe in her. Believe in the girl that he thought was so very amazing in every single way. It wasn't a tall order. It would have been so easy to do. But he didn't believe. He had failed her. Though Sakura had fallen for him, it had been too late. He wasn't her Naruto anymore. So he got what he expected.

He got what he deserved.

He had been holding the kiss for what seemed like an eternity to him. He knew that when he pulled back, he would surely find that he had failed Sakura. She would look upon him with disappointment and never forget those miserable thoughts that he had of her, when she had been so deserving and strong. But that was only just. It was only right that she never forgive him. It was what he deserved. And Sakura certainly didn't deserve to be saddled with one such as he who had those kinds of feelings in his heart. Even Sasuke would never have transmitted such darkness to her. He would have been honorable enough to keep it to himself. But not Naruto. To Naruto, nothing had been sacred. And now, he was going to pay for it.

Naruto accepted his fate. He finally pulled away. He gazed at Sakura wistfully as she opened her eyes.

She smiled at him.

"I forgive you, Naruto."

His eyes widened as his mouth opened in shock. He wasn't sure if he heard her correctly. He never expected to have been right. Sakura had found importance in the foolish statement he had made back then. That kiss had been what she expected of him. He felt himself losing consciousness. He saw her pink lips move as her face grew concerned, but he couldn't hear what she was saying. As he wondered how long the pinkette had been waiting for him to do that, he saw her approaching him with urgency.

As everything went black, Naruto realized that he'd underestimated her once again.

/

Naruto saw light entering his vision as his eyes opened. He was lying on the couch in his living room. He saw Sakura placing the bag she had brought with her on a chair in the corner of the room. She turned to face him, her eyes widening as she saw that he was awake. She rushed to check on him.

"Naruto! You fainted... You must have been so stressed out. Today must have been hard on you... I'm so sorry," she said.

He swallowed, though his mouth was still dry.

"I was just... so afraid that you would never forgive me. I was scared I was going to lose you," Naruto explained.

Sakura gave him a disbelieving look.

"But... I... You... Didn't you talk to Ino?"

"Yeah, I did... Why?"

"Didn't she tell you what I told her to tell you?"

Naruto sighed embarrassedly.

"She did, but I didn't understand what it meant."

Sakura sighed as well. After a moment to consider this, she laughed.

"That's just like you. But you shouldn't have been so worried, Naruto. Couldn't you tell that I was joking? Even if I said I wasn't going to forgive you, it wouldn't have been like what you were thinking."

"Oh... Sorry... I've kinda had a bad day."

Sakura smiled.

"You must have had. Naruto, you're not going to lose me. How many times do I have to tell you that I can't live without you?"

Naruto looked at her sadly.

"I guess I have trouble believing it... I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."

Sakura looked at him seriously.

"You need to forgive yourself for whatever thoughts you may have had about me. Because I'm not going anywhere. Think about it this way. You were so discouraged because of how I felt about Sasuke-kun. You thought I was never going to move on from him. And now, I'm like that about you. Even more so, actually. I love you with everything I have. Try not to forget that again, Naruto."

"Okay, Sakura-chan... I'll try to forgive myself."

Naruto finally sat up.

"Good, because I've already forgotten about it. Hey, there's something I've been meaning to ask."

Sakura grinned. Naruto looked at her curiously.

"Sure, what is it, Sakura-chan?"

She gestured at her bag.

"I was thinking I could stay over here tonight. I really wanted to sleep with you."

Naruto's face became an atomic red.

"Sleep with... me...?"

Sakura blushed deeply as well.

"No! I meant sleep next to you. Like in the same bed? Haha!"

Naruto took a relieved breath.

"Oh... Wow... Sorry, I was just really surprised..."

Sakura laughed again.

"My bad. I didn't know you were already thinking about that stuff. Sorry, but I don't think we should do that yet. You have to wait, Naruto."

Naruto gave her an imploring look.

"Sakura-chan, I wasn't! That isn't fair. You were the one who said it!"

Sakura smiled cheerfully at him.

"Okay, okay. So do you want me to?"

Naruto finally smiled as well.

"Of course, Sakura-chan. How could you even ask? Nothing would make me happier."

The pinkette grinned playfully.

"Well, I can think of at least one thing, Naruto. But like I said, you have to wait."

Naruto gazed at her with conviction, failing to pick up on the playful nature of her words.

"Sakura-chan... I'm so happy just to be with you... I could wait forever."

Sakura gave him a look of slight irritation.

"We're not going to wait forever!"

Naruto looked down in profound shame. He thought he was being noble, but all he had done was force his Sakura-chan to confess that she also had prurient desires. He felt like the worst kind of scum.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan..."

He looked up at her. She was smiling warmly again. The shame lifted. He smiled as well. All was right with the world.

"Well, I'm going to go change into my pajamas. I'm gonna use your room."

"Okay."

She picked up the bag, walked over to the door of his room and opened it. She walked through. As she closed it, she peeked her head around the gap to spy on Naruto. He was still looking back at her.

"Oh, and don't worry about Kiba. I talked to that idiot awhile ago. Trust me, the two of us have better things to worry about."

Naruto gaped at her. Sakura grinned back for an instant before quickly shutting the door.

Yes, all was right with the world. And not because he wasn't corrupted. He was. Not because he hadn't thought those things about Sakura. He had. It was because, through it all, he was still Naruto. He was still her most precious person.

And this Naruto, who became just a little bit like Sasuke... This Naruto, who loved her so deeply that he had been terrified, knowing what would become of his heart if she merely walked away...

Sakura loved him.


	4. Goro and Kizashi

Waking up the next morning, Sakura found herself in an unfamiliar place. She looked down and saw that she was wearing her pink pajama top. It was fairly thick, so she felt quite warm with that and the bedsheet. She looked to her side and saw a familiar blonde head of hair. She remembered that she had stayed with Naruto last night. She smiled as she examined him. He was sleeping peacefully. One would never imagine that he was so upset the previous night. The pinkette was glad she was able to make him feel better. She hated it when he wasn't his usual cheerful self. She loved to see him smile, especially when it was because of her. Simply seeing him happy made her heart soar. And she knew Naruto felt the same way about her. They were perfect for each other because of that.

Of course, Sakura had known what the problem was. She usually did when it came to Naruto. Even before arriving back in Konoha, she knew that some people would never accept that she could let go of Sasuke so easily. So freely. But it really had been so natural to her. And she knew that no one who hadn't been there would ever understand why. Ironically, Sasuke himself was the only person that distinction would apply to. But she didn't care what the others thought. She cared what Naruto thought. And true, it did bother her a little more than she had let on that he had thought that way about her. It had been very out of character for him. That kind of pessimism was more like the way Sasuke would think. But she could never bear to let something like that continue to hurt Naruto. It really didn't affect her that much.

Because at the end of the day, she was a kunoichi named Haruno Sakura. The cherry blossom of Konoha. Known for being the student of Tsunade of the Sannin, and for two other things. One of them was her beautiful forehead. And the other one meant that she could imagine much worse things that could have happened to the man that she loved than him becoming a little bit like Sasuke. Also, he didn't think that way anymore. Naruto's faith in her was endless now. Though he had lost hope in her in the past, that hope had been regained. She would never give him a reason to doubt her. She wanted to protect his love for her always. Nothing was more important to Sakura.

Naruto started to stir. He was awakening. Sakura moved to sit up in the bed now that she knew it wouldn't disturb him.

The blonde opened his eyes as Sakura watched with a smile. He looked around drowsily. When he noticed her, his eyes widened.

"Good morning, Naruto," Sakura said.

Naruto smiled contentedly.

"Sakura-chan..." he said quietly.

She grinned toothily.

"Happy to see me?"

"Of course... I always am."

Sakura chuckled.

"Haha... I can think of a few times when you weren't. Well, I'm going to go take a shower. My bag is in your bathroom, right?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Okay. I'll be back."

Naruto smiled and nodded. She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek before getting up and walking through the bathroom door. Naruto gazed at her in admiration as she did so. Sakura turned to face him as she was standing in the doorway.

"Oh, and Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

Sakura smiled conspiratorially.

"Be good."

Naruto's brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Okay, I will be... But, why?"

"Because if you're good... I'm not going to want to wait that long."

Naruto gaped, wide-eyed. The pinkette grinned and slowly shut the door.

When she had finished getting dressed after her shower, she returned to find Naruto in the same state she had left him in.

/

They left the apartment together. Sakura had gotten time off from the hospital in hopes of doing something with Naruto today since she had spent the night there, but Naruto still had his studies to do. They decided to go talk to Kakashi about it.

They made their way to the Hokage Tower, holding hands as they went. They received a variety of looks. There were smiles, but there were at least as many disparaging glances towards the pinkette. The harpy who had ensnared their hero, who would surely crush him later on with her love for the traitorous Uchiha. Naruto was still troubled over people thinking that way about her. But the pinkette just gave him a reassuring smile. She didn't really care what they thought. So the blonde did his best to ignore them.

They finally arrived in front of the Hokage office. Shizune smiled at them.

"Hi, you two. Here to see Hokage-sama? Go on in," she said.

Sakura nodded at her.

"Okay. Thanks, Senpai."

They opened the door and entered. Kakashi was sitting behind the desk which had the hat resting on it. He was reading one of his usual books, and didn't look up at them.

"Good morning, Kakashi-sensei!" they both shouted rather loudly. It was something they had agreed to do beforehand if he was overly immersed in reading.

Kakashi jumped with a start, dropping his book. He glared at them. They both laughed.

"You guys... Even as the Hokage, I still get no respect," the white-haired man complained.

"Maybe you would if you stopped reading Ero-sennin's books in your office all the time," Naruto replied.

The masked ninja smirked invisibly at him. He had been one of the first people to know that they were together. He had raised an eyebrow at their original mission request, and when they had come to report their return, he figured out what had happened without them needing to say anything. He had merely eye-smiled and wished them luck.

"You should be reading them too, Naruto. It looks like you're going to need some ideas soon."

Naruto blushed deeply. Sakura also blushed as she glared at Kakashi furiously.

"Sensei...! Do you not see that I'm standing right here?!" she shouted in embarrassment.

"You should let me lend you one as well, Sakura. It's no fun if you make him do all the work."

"I don't want one! Listen, Naruto and I wanted to do something together today. So would it be okay if I helped Naruto with his studies here so he can get them done faster?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Sure. Just be sure to give me all the details after you're done with whatever it is you end up doing. I've read all of Jiraiya-sama's works so many times, so I need something new."

Sakura's eye twitched. This was not something she wanted to discuss with Kakashi. The blonde just looked between the two of them nervously.

"You... Argh, forget it. Naruto, let's get started."

Naruto nodded at her. Kakashi looked like he was about to burst into laughter.

"You're getting started right in front of me? Wow, you guys are bold!"

They both glared at him this time.

/

The work was finished about four hours later, around noon. They decided to go out and eat lunch together. As they walked down the street towards the BBQ place, they came across a familiar bun-haired girl in a Chinese style dress. The girl froze when she saw them, before walking up to them somewhat nervously. They stopped walking and looked over at her.

"Oh, Tenten! How are you?" Sakura greeted.

"I'm fine... Uh... Could I talk to you guys about something?" Tenten replied.

"Sure," Naruto said.

"Okay... Well... I... Uh..."

The weapons mistress seemed quite flustered. They looked at her expectantly.

"Tenten, calm down. We're all friends here," Sakura said in a relaxed way.

Tenten looked at her seriously.

"That's exactly it... I... I don't want to stop being friends! I've felt so guilty... Please forgive me!"

She bowed after saying this. Naruto and Sakura both gaped at her.

"Uh... Tenten, I'm not mad at you. I'm sorry if it seemed like I was... I was more angry at myself than anything else," Naruto explained.

Tenten looked at him with shock before nodding.

"Okay. It was wrong of me, though. I shouldn't have bought into what Kiba was saying about Sakura... You were right that Neji would never have done something like that. But if you're both okay with it, I'll try to forget about it."

The pinkette smiled warmly at her.

"I can't afford to stress over what everyone thinks of me. If I did that, I would never get anything done. Hey, we're going to the BBQ place. Why don't you come eat with us? That would be okay with you, right, Naruto?" Sakura said.

Naruto nodded.

"Of course," he said.

Tenten finally smiled.

"Sure, I'm hungry. Let's go," she said eagerly.

They made their way to the restaurant together. They sat down at the same table where Kiba had started that controversial discussion. After they had ordered, Tenten looked at the two of them curiously.

"Well, you guys do seem really close. Being from the class above you, I have to confess that I never really understood what the whole deal was about Sasuke..." she said quietly.

Sakura laughed.

"I don't really understand it either, anymore. Naruto and I have always had a special bond. Something more than friendship... I feel bad that it took us so long, but I'm so happy that it worked out in the end... I really can't live without him," Sakura replied.

Naruto nodded.

"I can't live without you either, Sakura-chan... I tried, and it wasn't working... Everything I did felt so meaningless without you there," replied the blonde.

"I was sad without you too, Naruto. It's so much more fun when you're around. I felt like I was just going through the motions."

Tenten chuckled. They turned to look at her with some surprise.

"Guys, cut it out. You're making me feel like a third wheel," Tenten said.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Tenten. So do you have anything going on the romantic front yourself?"

Tenten looked down sadly.

"Well, I really believed I was in love with Neji... But I never got the chance to tell him..."

Naruto and Sakura both looked down in painful remembrance as well.

"I really wish I could have saved him... I feel so responsible. If he hadn't been protecting me..." Naruto lamented.

Tenten looked at him with some indignation.

"Naruto, you can't be like that! That was his choice. He chose to give his life to protect you and Hinata. Please don't take his free choice away from him... It was something he valued more than anything else."

Naruto looked at her apologetically.

"You're right... I'm sorry that I said that."

The server brought their food. They ate their lunch while talking of less emotional topics. When they had finished, they paid and exited the restaurant. Tenten said farewell to them and walked off feeling much more carefree than before.

Sakura turned to look at Naruto.

"Well, what should we do now?" she asked.

Naruto looked down in thought before answering.

"Hmm, I don't really know... For now, why don't we just go up on Hokage Mountain and talk for a while?"

"Sure, Naruto. Let's go."

They quickly made their way up the mountain.

/

They were sitting next to each other on top of the Yondaime's head making small talk as they looked down at the village. Sakura moved closer to Naruto and leaned on his shoulder.

"Naruto... I really am happy to be with you. So happy. I wouldn't want to be with anyone else. You know that, right?" she said.

Naruto blushed lightly.

"I think I'm finally starting to believe it... I'm really happy, too. I feel so lucky."

Sakura smiled.

"Well, we're both lucky."

He turned to look at her and unexpectedly got lost in her eyes. Sakura was also having difficulty. They gazed at each other in awkward silence.

"Naruto... I thought of-" the pinkette started to say before Naruto kissed her.

She was surprised but returned the kiss, wrapping an arm around him. After some time, they pulled back, both taking a deep breath.

"Sorry... I just remembered that I'm allowed to kiss you sometimes, and I really wanted to," Naruto explained sheepishly.

Sakura laughed in a way that Naruto found very charming.

"That's okay, Naruto. I was going to say that I thought of something we can do. You should come with me to see my parents. They know how important you are to me, but I don't think they really get that we're together."

Naruto tilted her head at her quizzically.

"Really? What did you tell them when you came to stay at my place?"

"I told them I was staying with Ino... Sorry, I really wasn't up to explaining it all right then... But I really want them to hear it from us, instead of from someone who thinks I'm going to break your heart over Sasuke-kun."

Naruto smiled at Sakura, who was grinning sheepishly.

"Oh, I see. Yeah, let's do that. I've been wanting to see them again, anyway."

"Okay, great! Want to go now?"

"Yeah, we might as well, even though I'm happy being here with you, Sakura-chan."

"There will be more opportunities like this, Naruto. I promise."

Sakura gave him a reassuring smile. They both got to their feet and made their way to Sakura's parents' house.

/

They had arrived at the street that the Haruno family home was on. Naruto turned to look at Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, I'm a bit nervous. What if they don't approve?" he asked.

Sakura gave him a deadpan look.

"Naruto, they will. Trust me. But let me be the one to tell them, since you're nervous, I guess," she replied.

"Okay, Sakura-chan."

They arrived at the modest home and Sakura knocked on the door. After a moment, Sakura's mother Mebuki answered the door. She was an older woman with the same pink hair that Sakura had.

"Oh, it's you, Sakura dear! And you're with Naruto-kun! What a pleasant surprise! Come on in," she greeted.

"Hi, mom," Sakura said.

"Hello, Haruno-san. It's nice to see you again," Naruto said with a polite nod.

"Please, just call me Mebuki," Sakura's mother replied.

The pair walked inside. They went to the living room of the house where Sakura's father Kizashi was sitting in an easy chair. The man looked surprised to see them.

"Sakura! You're here with Uzumaki-san? You should have warned us! We would've arranged something if we knew the hero of the war was coming here," Kizashi complained.

Sakura sighed, while Naruto looked sheepish.

"Dad, Naruto doesn't need anything like that. You know that to me, he's just Naruto," Sakura said.

Her father shook his head.

"You still should have told us. Well, go ahead and sit down anywhere you want. What brings you here?"

The pair sat down on the couch. Mebuki sat across from them in another easy chair. Sakura smiled tentatively at her parents.

"Well, we have something to tell you."

Her mother's eyes widened. Kizashi just watched inquisitively.

"It's about Naruto here... Well... I'm in love with him, and we're together now," Sakura continued.

Mebuki smiled. Her father just stared at her blankly. Naruto grinned sheepishly.

"But... What about that awful Sasuke kid?" Kizashi asked.

Sakura sighed tiredly.

"... There's nothing between me and Sasuke-kun anymore."

Kizashi's eyes lit up. He turned to look at Naruto with a wide smile.

"That's wonderful news! So... You're the son of the Fourth Hokage?"

Naruto gave him a blank look.

"Uh... Yes?" he said.

"And you're in love with my daughter?"

Naruto smiled.

"Yeah..."

The older man jumped out of his chair with an elated expression.

"That's amazing! This is great. I'm going to go buy some champagne to celebrate! I'll be right back. Mebuki, take care of them while I'm gone."

He ran out. Naruto gave Sakura a confused look. She smiled back embarrassedly. Sakura's mother was still gazing at the both of them happily.

"So... Naruto-kun. How did you come to fall for my dear Sakura?" she asked.

Naruto looked at her, still feeling a bit sheepish about this.

"Well, I've been in love with her as long as I can remember. I'm not really sure when exactly it happened, Mebuki-san."

"Well, then, how did you two get together?"

He glanced over at Sakura, who nodded at him.

"Hmm... We went on a trip together, and I guess everything fell into place after that."

Mebuki pouted.

"I need more details! Sakura, tell me how you fell for him, then."

Sakura frowned. It was pretty personal, but she didn't want to leave her mother in the dark, so she decided to explain as well as she could.

"Well... After the war ended, I was still thinking about Sasuke-kun a lot. At the same time, I noticed that Naruto wasn't spending as much time with me as he used to, and that really bothered me. So I asked him why he was acting that way. It was hard to get him to say it, but I finally got him to admit that it was because he was in love with me. It was hurting him to be around me since he thought he was going to lose me forever. So I decided that I wasn't going to let it continue. He was just too important to me. I had feelings for him as well, but it wasn't even about that. I just care about him so much. So we decided to go on a trip to visit Sasuke-kun and figure out what we should do. On the trip, we got really close, and by the time we made it to where Sasuke-kun was, I was very happy to be with Naruto. He's truly special to me. No one else could ever mean as much to me as he does, and I really love him."

Mebuki was gazing fondly at her daughter as she told the story, her eyes watering slightly. Sakura and Naruto smiled at each other shyly.

"Sakura... That's wonderful... I'm so proud of you. You truly are my daughter. This makes me so happy."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, mom? It wasn't anything special."

Mebuki blinked and wiped her eyes.

"Yes it was... I've never been as proud of you as I am at this moment. No matter what you felt for that Sasuke boy, you knew you couldn't hurt Naruto-kun, right?"

Sakura nodded.

"Uh, yeah..."

"You see, before I was with your father, I was smitten with a man named Goro. He's dead now. He died in the Fourth War. But he was very popular among the girls of our age group back in the day. He was a ninja of the Inuzuka clan."

Sakura and Naruto glanced at each other, both wearing amused grins at the thought of Kiba as this Sasuke-like figure.

"Anyway, I always tried to get his attention, but he never paid much attention to me. He always said he didn't have time. Sometimes he'd even laugh at me. It wasn't very nice of him, actually. I'm very embarrassed thinking about it now," Mebuki continued.

Sakura nodded, understanding all too well.

"And Kizashi and I had always been friends. He'd always been so kind to me. I could tell that he liked me and that he was keeping his distance to make me happy. He understood that I was hung up on Goro, so he never even asked me out on a date. After a while, I started to get frustrated. I was sure Goro would never return my feelings. So I stopped trying to talk to him. I kept spending time with Kizashi and we got closer. One day, after we had gone out to eat, I told him that I still had feelings for Goro, but I wouldn't mind it if he asked me out on a date soon. Your father just stood there blushing as I walked away."

The younger pinkette smiled imagining the cute scene.

"The next day, I wore a dress that I had bought that all my friends told me I looked great in, because I expected Kizashi to finally ask me out. I went to the city square and there was Kizashi... but there was also Goro. They had been having a conversation. I could tell that Kizashi was upset, but Goro was playing it cool as he usually did. I walked up to them."

At this point both Naruto and Sakura were leaning closer in anticipation.

"I said hello to both of them. Kizashi was so awestruck seeing me in that dress that he didn't even say hello to me. He just stared at me. But Goro... He finally looked at me. He smiled at me. He said hello to me. He asked how I was. We talked, and he even got to the point of asking me out. I was so happy. He finally noticed me. He finally asked me out. I was about to answer him, until I remembered Kizashi was there. So I looked over at him."

Mebuki frowned as she said this.

"He looked so miserable. He was sure I was going to say yes. He was positive that I was going to forget I had asked him to ask me out and agree to go with Goro. Even when he had just been standing up to him on my behalf. He just looked so defeated... So I realized something then. If I said yes, your father would have been so hurt. He wouldn't even have wanted to look at me anymore. Nothing would ever have been the same between us. And I didn't want that... I had grown to care so much about him. He had become my most important friend. I couldn't stand the thought of hurting him like that. So even though it was hard for me, I told Goro that I was sorry and that I had already promised to go out with Kizashi that day."

The older woman smiled.

"He just scoffed and walked away. But the look on your father's face afterwards... The admiration that he had for me... I felt something special for him then that I'd never felt for anyone else. It was an amazing feeling. I really started looking forward to that date, and the rest is history. Don't you see, Sakura dear? You really cared about how Naruto-kun felt. You had a wonderful bond of friendship with him. And you wanted to protect him and that bond, even if it meant you had to give something up. And in doing so, a flower bloomed in your heart for him. And that flower turned your friendship into something even more beautiful. That flower that was able to create so much happiness for you and Naruto-kun... It bloomed because of your caring spirit. It bloomed because you are my daughter, Sakura."

Sakura only gaped. Naruto smiled, feeling a great respect for Sakura's mother.

"Wow, mom... How come you've never told that story before?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know. But I'm glad I waited until today."

They all heard the door open. Kizashi had returned with the champagne.

"Welcome back, dear," Mebuki said.

"I got two bottles. Have you all been having a good time?" her husband replied.

"Of course. I was just telling them about what happened with us and Inuzuka Goro."

Kizashi frowned.

"I know I shouldn't talk bad about him because he died fighting for Konoha, but I really hated that guy. Even after we got engaged, he still wouldn't leave you alone. It was like he never got over the fact that you actually said no. It was his own fault that he took so long to realize how amazing you were."

Mebuki smiled warmly at him and he smiled back. Sakura and Naruto exchanged knowing grins as her parents had a moment. Then the older man set out four glasses. They all had drinks and talked for hours about various things.

/

It had gotten dark and Naruto was getting ready to leave. After saying goodbye to Sakura's parents, he was talking with the pinkette near the open front door.

"I loved spending time with your parents, Sakura-chan. But I wish I could stay with you... Today was so wonderful," Naruto said.

Sakura smiled.

"Yeah... Well, you'll keep seeing me. Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we go on a mission together? It could be like a really long date."

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"That's a great idea, Sakura-chan! I'll ask Kakashi-sensei if we can get a mission for just the two of us."

Sakura nodded.

"Sounds great, Naruto."

Naruto finally stepped outside. He turned and waved at her.

"Bye, Sakura-chan."

"Naruto... Wait."

The blonde gave her a questioning look. Sakura stepped out after him and pulled his head down to hers into a passionate kiss. Then she stepped back into her house, leaving a breathless Naruto outside.

"Bye, Naruto!" Sakura hollered cheerfully.

The pinkette shut the door. The surprised Naruto eventually found his way back home.


	5. Legacy Hopes and Fears

The next day, Hinata was finally going to have a chance to speak with Kiba. Their team had agreed to train at a certain training field. When the Hyuga heiress arrived, Shino was waiting in the center of the field. Spheres composed of his bugs were rotating around him as he stood solemnly. He turned to look at her. She nodded at him and raised a hand, indicating that she wanted to talk. Shino nodded back and his bugs quickly moved back inside of his body. When the buzzing had ceased, Hinata spoke.

"Hi, Shino. How are you? I need to ask a favor of you," she said, sounding more confident than usual.

"I am fine, Hinata. And I will do my best to assist you," the Aburame replied.

"When Kiba arrives, could you go somewhere else? I need to speak with him privately."

The Aburame raised an eyebrow but made no objection. He simply nodded.

"Thank you, Shino," Hinata said with a small bow.

Shino resumed training with his bugs while Hinata looked around for Kiba. A few minutes later, the dog ninja had finally arrived alongside Akamaru. Hinata walked towards him quickly. As she did, Shino went off into a nearby grove of trees. Kiba watched as Hinata approached, some trepidation covering his features. This kind of assertive body language was entirely out of character for the young woman.

"Kiba, I need you to do something for me," Hinata stated.

Kiba smiled awkwardly.

"Sure, anything for you, Hinata. What is it?" he asked.

Hinata frowned.

"I understand that you've been saying some things about Sakura-san in reference to Naruto-kun... Specifically about her feelings for Sasuke-san, or what she might do if he came back... I don't want you to talk about that anymore."

Kiba cocked his head at her and frowned as well.

"But, Hinata... Why do you even care?"

The bluenette narrowed her eyes a little.

"I care because it's bothering Naruto-kun. In fact, it's bothering him so much that he even asked me for help. So will you please stop?"

Kiba let out a frustrated sigh.

"So you're doing this for him... Hinata, he left you. He left you like you weren't even worth anything to him, and yet you still-"

Hinata loudly interrupted him.

"Kiba! If Naruto-kun needs my help, then I'm going to help him. I'm sorry if you want me to hate him, but I'm not capable of that. He never meant to hurt me. So will you stop or not?"

Kiba stared at her with wide eyes for a few moments. He sighed again, but this time with no venom. It was a sigh of resignation.

"Fine, Hinata... I just wish you didn't feel that way about him. It isn't fair to you at all. But like I said... Anything for you."

Hinata seemed to relax.

"Thank you, Kiba. I appreciate it. Do you want to start training now?"

"Of course..."

Hinata smiled pleasantly at the downtrodden Kiba.

"Okay. Shino is waiting for us over there. Let's go."

She walked off in the direction of the trees. Kiba followed her with his head down, his resentment of Naruto growing with each step he took.

/

Naruto had asked Kakashi about getting a mission for himself and Sakura. He had been told that there was one in a little over a week. It was a diplomatic mission to represent Konoha in the capital of the Fire Country. Naruto was an ideal choice for it because of how well-known he became from his exploits in the war.

A few days had passed since then, and he had yet to have a chance to tell Sakura about it. She had been busy working at the hospital, and they had yet to run into each other. Naruto decided to go to the hospital and meet Sakura during her lunch break so that he could tell her about it. He had gotten about halfway there when he was interrupted by a male voice calling out to him.

"Hey, Naruto."

The blonde turned to look. He saw Shikamaru standing in the shade of a building. He remembered that this part of Konoha was owned in large part by the Nara.

"Shikamaru, hey. How are you?" Naruto replied.

Shikamaru had taken a few casual steps towards him.

"I'm fine. I went to the Hokage office the other day to speak with Shizune. I'm still serious about becoming your advisor, so I wanted to ask her if there is anything I should be learning right now."

Naruto grinned. Shikamaru remained stone-faced, however.

"Wow, really? That's so cool, man. You know that I wouldn't want anyone else to do it, right?"

Naruto's enthusiasm finally managed to elicit a smirk from the laid-back man.

"Yeah. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. I saw you there."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Really? What was I doing? Studying, right?"

"You were... And a certain medical ninja was helping you. And it wasn't Shizune. I never agreed with what Kiba was saying, but now, I'm absolutely certain that he was wrong."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"You are?"

Shikamaru nodded.

"Yes. I asked Shizune, and she said that you and Sakura had been doing that for the last three hours. Three hours. Three hours of studying laws and regulations. It sounded incredibly troublesome. So I asked her why Sakura was there. She said that she was there because she wanted to help you. She was willing to do something mind-numbingly boring, for over three hours, to help you. And for no other reason. Naruto, that woman loves you. If you ever doubted that, you're an idiot."

Naruto's eyes glazed over a bit and he smiled softly.

"Yeah... I know."

"I'm glad you do. And I doubt Kiba has ever been more wrong about anything in his whole life. I'll tell you right now, Naruto, I want to be your advisor, but I wouldn't do that for you. Not unless you paid me."

Naruto laughed.

"Haha. That's okay, Shikamaru. I was actually on my way to try to find her right now. What time is it?"

Shikamaru looked down at his watch.

"It's 12:50."

"Oh. Her lunch doesn't start for another ten minutes. Hey, do you still hear from Temari?"

Shikamaru turned his head and looked off into the distance.

"She sent me a letter awhile ago. She's going to come to Konoha with her brothers in a month or so."

Naruto's eyes perked up.

"Great! I'll get to see Gaara again. But listen... I've been wondering. Did you ever tell her how you felt about her?"

The Nara blushed lightly.

"No... I don't really know how to tell her. She's older than me, she doesn't even live here, and I have no idea what she thinks of me. She's a really tough woman. Hard to read. Not unlike Sakura, actually."

Naruto looked down in thought.

"Is she really that much older than you? I didn't know."

Shikamaru finally turned to look at Naruto in a somewhat deadpan manner.

"Naruto, she's the older sister of Gaara and Kankuro. Gaara is the one who is around our age, and he's the youngest. Simple math would tell you that she is, at the very least, about two years older. But it's almost certainly more than that. If I had to guess, I'd say four. I never asked her, though. My father would have killed me if I did something that stupid."

Naruto nodded.

"Well, you should tell her how you feel when she comes here. I realized something because of Sakura-chan. Telling a girl how you feel can completely change the way they look at you."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"What? How could it possibly do that?"

Naruto shrugged.

"It just does. If they're close to you, and they care about you, telling them that you love them means a lot to them. It's not something where they'll just tell you that they don't feel the same without really thinking about it. They'll really search their heart and find out what they truly feel for you. And if they don't feel the same, well, there's nothing you can do. But not telling them is just not even giving yourself a chance. You can't really expect them to just fall all over you and proclaim their love for you. That only works for guys like Sasuke."

Shikamaru frowned.

"Didn't Hinata do that for you?"

Naruto looked down, feeling a little guilty.

"... Yeah, but she was the only one. Sakura-chan didn't do that, and she never would have. If I never told her how I felt, nothing would have happened between us. And you said Temari was similar to her. So you need to tell Temari how you feel."

Shikamaru sighed languidly. Naruto looked up at him.

"Okay, Naruto. You make a good argument. I'll do it. I just really hope she doesn't laugh at me."

Naruto smiled.

"If she really cares about you, she won't laugh. It would be impossible for her. But I have to go find Sakura-chan. I'll see you later, Shikamaru."

"Okay. See you later."

Naruto walked off. Shikamaru's eyes followed him as he did. When the blonde disappeared around a corner, the Nara returned to the shade in deep thought.

"Impossible...? But why? I didn't understand most of that. And yet he convinced me. Sometimes, he's really troublesome," the dark-haired man mumbled to himself.

/

Naruto had arrived in the hospital cafeteria. It was still mostly empty as the lunch period hadn't started yet. He took a seat at a table facing the main entrance and watched for Sakura.

A few minutes later, people in white uniforms started pouring in. When Naruto saw the pinkette walking through the doorway with a distracted expression on her face, he waved at her. He really liked the way her pink hair looked against her white medical coat. She smiled when she noticed him and walked quickly over to his table, sitting down across from him.

"Naruto..." Sakura said with fondness.

"Hi, Sakura-chan," Naruto replied with a grin.

Sakura was watching him with wide, soft eyes.

"Naruto, I missed you so much. I should have come to see you at your apartment, but I've been doing stuff with my parents and Ino... I'm so sorry."

"Don't think anything of it, Sakura-chan. I should have come to visit you here sooner, but I was too busy at the Hokage Tower."

Sakura nodded.

"Okay. Did you find out anything about a mission?"

"Yeah, there's a diplomatic mission next Tuesday that I would be ideal for. I can bring one other ninja with me. Who do you think I should take?"

Naruto looked at her with faux seriousness as he asked this. Sakura laughed.

"Haha. Are you even allowed to lead such a mission, since you're still a Genin? Wouldn't I be the one taking you?"

Naruto laughed as well.

"In that case, I would be honored if you would let me serve under you, Chunin Haruno."

Sakura watched him with amusement.

"How long are you going to be a Genin? Why hasn't Kakashi-sensei promoted you? At this rate, I'll probably be a Jonin before you're promoted."

The blonde shrugged.

"I don't know. I haven't asked him. Anyway, I should let you eat while you still have time."

He made a motion to sit up.

"Naruto, wait!"

Sakura was looking at him with some urgency. Naruto looked at her questioningly in a half-sitting, half-standing position.

"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"

"I don't think we should wait that long to spend time together. Let's do something sooner. Want me to come spend the night at your place tomorrow night? I don't have work the day after."

Naruto smiled.

"Of course! That would be great. I really missed you too, Sakura-chan. I love you."

"I love you too, Naruto. Okay, now you can leave."

Sakura grinned at him. He looked at her fondly one last time before waving and walking off.

/

The next day, Sakura was in a rush after she had gotten off work. Tsunade had sent a messenger to inform her that she wanted to speak with her as soon as she was available. So the pinkette had first rushed home to get changed to go to Naruto's apartment and to give her parents a hurried explanation. She had put on a short-sleeved white shirt and long, close-fitting pants that were a dark green. She carried her usual bag with her. She planned to visit her master and then go see Naruto afterwards.

She had finally arrived at the building that was once the Senju compound, which was about as far away from her parents' home as a location in Konoha could possibly be. It was a very large building with a minimalistic wooden design. Tsunade lived here with only Shizune as her occasional company. Sakura felt bad for her, thinking she must get quite lonely at times. She wasn't sure how she could help, though. The times when she had visited, Tsunade had said that she had very little left to teach Sakura, and that the pinkette must have better things to do than make small talk with her. Sakura once suggested that she take another student, or even a class, but Tsunade was reluctant. She said that she seriously doubted anyone living today could learn medical ninjutsu with the speed and agility that Sakura had.

Sakura knocked on the door. After a moment, it opened to reveal Tsunade with a weak smile on her face.

"Sakura," she said.

"Shishou... Hello. I got your message... I really hope you're doing well," the pinkette replied.

Tsunade sighed.

"I'm fine. Come on in."

Sakura followed Tsunade down a hallway into a den of some kind. Tsunade sat down in one of the wicker chairs that were present.

"You want to sit down? Want anything to drink?" asked the Godaime.

Sakura smiled politely.

"No, I'm fine, Shishou. What did you need from me? I'm kind of in a hurry... I'm going to go visit Naruto."

Tsunade smirked.

"Ah, Naruto... Yes... I can't even describe to you how happy I was when I heard... After Jiraiya died, it was my hope that you two wouldn't make the same mistakes we did... When I heard that he was seeing that Hyuga girl, I got so angry. I tracked him down and demanded to know what the hell he thought he was doing. I demanded to know how he could possibly abandon you. And he just said there was no way that you could ever love him. I had to restrain myself from smacking him. I guess he was wrong..."

Sakura looked down sheepishly.

"I didn't think I loved him then. But in a way, I always have. He's always been so important to me, Shishou... I can't stand him being hurt or depressed. If he needs me, I have to help, no matter what it is... And he needed me to love him, so I did... And it made me happier than I've ever been before."

The Godaime finally smiled genuinely.

"That's great, Sakura... He always loved you. I'm glad you finally realized that. Just remember to be safe. You're still very young and you must have many things you still want to do."

Sakura blushed a deep crimson.

"Of course I've thought about that... But I don't know. It doesn't seem like the jutsu they teach you in kunoichi classes is at all practical."

Tsunade nodded with a serious expression.

"It's not. It's painful and messy, obviously. It's really only of use if you get raped by the enemy."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Should I just buy something, then? Or ask Naruto to buy something? God, that would be an awkward conversation to have at this point..."

Tsunade scoffed.

"No, of course not. You're my student. I'll teach you a jutsu. Heh... I was so worried that you would ask me to teach you this for that Uchiha brat. I think I even had a nightmare about it once. You don't know how terrified I was of the possibility that you would always be hopelessly in love with that little shit."

Sakura frowned deeply.

"Shishou, please don't talk badly about him. Sasuke-kun is still very important to me. He'll always be my teammate, and I do love him, I'm just not in love with him."

The older woman gazed at Sakura wearily.

"Whatever, Sakura. You're not in love with him, and you don't know how happy I am to know that. Even if he reformed himself, he's not someone you would ever want to be with. Trust me, I know his type. I'm glad you'll never have to find out."

Sakura sighed in resignation. Whether her master was right or wrong, it didn't matter anymore. But it was a reminder that most of the ninja world still hated and feared Sasuke. She was glad Naruto wasn't here for this. It would have made him feel really bad.

"Shishou... Weren't you going to show me a jutsu?"

Tsunade nodded.

"Here."

The Godaime slowly performed five hand signs.

"That's it. It acts as a barrier lasting twelve hours or so. Try to have a clear mind as you perform the signs, as hard as that may be. You may want to do it well in advance, because thinking clearly is obviously going to be an issue," Tsunade explained.

Sakura did the same signs herself at a quicker speed. A moment after she had finished, she rested a hand on her lower abdomen.

"Hmm... It's a warm feeling. It's kind of distracting... I feel really... I'm too embarrassed to say."

Sakura blushed deeply. Tsunade chuckled in amusement.

"The presence of medical chakra in that area will do that. If anything, it would only help matters. You'll get used to it. After a while, you won't even notice it anymore."

"Can I turn it off?"

"Just do the hand signs again. You shouldn't, though. You should try to get used to it."

Sakura immediately performed the jutsu again. Her blush faded after she did so.

"I'll get used to it another day... I have to go see Naruto. I can't be feeling like this."

Tsunade laughed outright.

"Haha! Are you sure? Like I said, it would only help matters."

The pinkette glared at the amused older woman.

"Yes, Shishou, I'm sure!"

Sakura's expression became one of quiet respect.

"Thank you for teaching me the jutsu, though. You've taught me so much, and not only about jutsu. I will always appreciate having been your student," she declared.

Tsunade looked downcast at this.

"It was a pleasure, Sakura... It really was... But I wish I could have had a child of my own to pass my knowledge on to. Heh, it's ironic. That Uchiha brat will definitely take a woman and have children. He won't give up just because he can't have you. So the Uchiha will live on, while the Senju will die with me. When we won... We... My grandfather, my father... We defeated them every time, and in every possible way... Yet they're going to outlive us, and only because of an ex-traitor brat who had the right friends."

The Godaime sighed deeply. She looked very tired. All the events of her life were starting to wear on her in this time of peace. Sakura only watched her solemnly.

"I hope you can understand now why I'm so thankful that you won't be the one to have his children. That would have made me feel so... God, I don't even want to think about it. Get out of here, Sakura. Leave this old woman to her foolishness and go have fun with Naruto. My past mistakes are mine to bear," Tsunade concluded in a weary tone.

Sakura's eyes widened. She looked down in thought. After a few moments, she looked up with a neutral expression.

"Shishou... If Naruto and I have a child, you should be the godmother. And you can teach him or her, if you want to. It should be you. Ino can wait for the next kid, or have her own damn kids."

Tsunade gaped at her, not knowing what to say. Finally, she smiled.

"I think... I would like that."

Sakura smiled widely in return.

"Goodbye, Shishou. Take care of yourself."

Tsunade only nodded sharply. Sakura gave her a polite bow and exited the building, making her way to Naruto's apartment with haste.


	6. Love and Blue Lightning

Sakura arrived at her destination. She rapped on Naruto's door in her usual fashion. She was surprised at how quickly the door opened.

"Sakura-chan!" she heard.

She saw a yellow-haired blur for a moment as she felt strong arms wrap around her torso.

"You came a little later than I expected... I've been dying to see you, Sakura-chan. I'm so happy that you're here," Naruto said earnestly.

The surprised pinkette smiled knowingly as she returned the embrace.

"Same here, Naruto. Sorry, I had to go visit Tsunade-shishou... She needed to talk to me about something."

Naruto pulled back and looked at her with a pleasantly curious expression.

"Really? What did Baa-chan want?"

Sakura blushed lightly.

"Let me tell you about it later. Is it okay if we go inside now?"

Naruto smiled.

"Yeah, let's go."

Sakura followed him inside. They stood facing each other in the living room.

"So... What do you wanna do?" Naruto asked.

She glanced away with a pensive expression.

"I don't know. Now that I think of it, there's really not a lot to do at your apartment."

Naruto laughed.

"Haha, I know. I mostly only sleep and eat here. You never really came over here when we weren't together."

Sakura looked back at him.

"Well, it seems I really didn't have a reason to. But now I do."

After saying this, she gave him a bright smile. Naruto gazed at her for a few moments, admiring her beauty as he often did. She tilted her head at him.

"Naruto?" the pinkette asked.

His eyes widened.

"Oh! Sorry, Sakura-chan... It's just that you looked so pretty."

Sakura laughed. This was something that Naruto also found pretty, but he wasn't rendered awestruck by it.

"Well, thank you, Naruto. You don't look so bad yourself."

He looked down at his outfit. They were just his normal orange and black clothes, though he wasn't wearing the jacket.

"But I'm not wearing anything special... I've never seen you wear that outfit before."

Sakura then looked down at her own clothes, the white shirt and dark pants.

"You like these clothes, Naruto? I wasn't sure about them, but I felt like I should do something different this time."

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. They're really feminine, but not in an obvious way. You look so beautiful, Sakura-chan. Not that I don't like your other clothes, because I do."

Sakura looked down in thought. She wondered about something.

"Did you like that dress that I wore back when we were in the Academy?"

Naruto blushed lightly and nodded.

"Yeah... That was the Sakura-chan that I thought about for so long while I was with Ero-sennin... I don't think I'm ever going to get that image out of my head."

The pinkette blushed as well for a moment. Then a coy smirk appeared on her face.

"It's too small for me now... Though I guess I could always ask my mother to make me another one. It's not really the kind of thing I would wear anymore, but would you like that, Naruto?"

Naruto blushed more deeply. He didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't that.

"I guess... If you want to, Sakura-chan."

Sakura chuckled.

"Okay, one day I'll show up here dressed like that. It'll be a surprise."

The blonde gaped at her in amazement. He couldn't believe she actually wanted to do that for his silly nostalgia.

"So, I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat?" Sakura asked casually.

"I have ramen..."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Okay. Let's make some."

Naruto nodded.

"Sure, Sakura-chan."

They went to the kitchen and cooked the ramen. Slightly more than three minutes later, they sat down at the table and started eating. Sakura smiled softly after slurping some noodles.

"This is how I know that I love you, Naruto. I could have had my mother's delicious cooking, but I chose to eat cup ramen with you."

Naruto frowned.

"Hey, don't talk bad about ramen. I thought you liked it?"

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I like it because I only eat it with you. So if I'm eating it, then you're there with me. It isn't bad, but I don't think I would choose to eat it on my own."

Naruto was both flattered and depressed by this revelation.

"Oh... I thought you liked it more..."

Sakura chuckled.

"It's nothing to be sad about, Naruto. I like it because I like you. Can't you be happy with that?"

Naruto finally grinned.

"I guess I can. That's one thing we have in common, Sakura-chan. As much as I love ramen, I love you even more."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Wow... You're really serious about me, Naruto. I knew you were, but I didn't realize how much until now."

They both laughed.

/

It had gotten quite late. It was a pretty hot night by Fire Country standards, and they were both sweating a little. Sakura yawned.

"Naruto, I'm getting tired. Did I leave my bag in your bedroom?" she asked.

Naruto thought for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, you tossed it on the bed, I think."

"Okay. Let me go change, I guess."

Sakura walked off into the bedroom, shutting the door. A minute later, Naruto heard her call out to him.

"Uh... Naruto? I guess you can come in now," Sakura said through the door.

"Okay, I'm coming."

He opened his bedroom door and entered. He saw Sakura sitting on the bed wearing the same outfit as before. She looked up at him sheepishly. He watched her with some confusion.

"Apparently, since I was in such a rush earlier, I forgot to actually put pajamas in my bag. It still has my outfit from work in it."

Naruto looked down in thought.

"Oh... Do you want me to run over to your house and ask your parents for some?"

Sakura shook her head.

"No, I don't want them to think that anything weird happened. I'll be fine like this... It's pretty hot for pajamas anyway."

The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"But... Aren't those about the same?"

Sakura smiled shyly. She was still wearing the same outfit, except she had taken off her shoes some time ago.

"Well... Let me go change."

She got up and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Naruto didn't understand what she was going to change into. She didn't even bring her bag with her. He sat down on the bed facing the bathroom door.

After a minute or so, Sakura came back out holding her pants and socks against her waist. She quickly turned and moved to shut the bathroom door. Naruto blushed deeply as she reached for the doorknob. Her long, pale legs were in full view, along with a hint of something more. Her top was long enough to cover her underwear, but her subtle movements were causing the pink fabric to intermittently become visible. Without looking at him, she went to put her clothing items into her bag. After doing so, she dropped the bag in front of the foot of the bed. She finally turned and looked at the red-faced Naruto.

"Naruto... It's not that big of a deal. Aren't I your girlfriend?" she asked, but her voice let on that it was a bigger deal than she made it sound.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Yeah, it's just new to me... I keep feeling like you're going to yell that I'm a pervert and punch me for seeing you like this."

Sakura smiled shyly like she had before.

"I don't want to do that... We're having a good time together and I don't want to ruin it."

Naruto nodded.

"I see... I understand you, Sakura-chan. It's just not what I was expecting. It doesn't feel weird to you?"

Sakura shook her head.

"No... Actually, it feels good. It's much cooler... And it's strange... But when I see that you're looking at me even though I'm like this... That feels good too, Naruto."

They both looked away from each other with incendiary blushes.

"So... You don't want me to stop looking at you?"

Sakura had turned back to face him, but Naruto was still looking away. She took a few steps around the bed until she was standing in front of him.

"No."

As he turned to look at her, Sakura grabbed hold of him and pulled him up towards her, locking lips with him somewhat forcefully. When she grew tired of standing, she slowly pushed him down onto the bed and crawled on top of him, holding herself flush against his body as they kissed more passionately. Naruto had one hand on her waist and the other in her hair, slowly stroking her pink locks. The blonde was being careful to be gentle with her, as he was growing intoxicated by her pleasant scent and the feel of her soft curves. He didn't want to accidentally hurt her or touch her in a way she wasn't comfortable with. They continued until Sakura pushed herself up off of the bed so that she could sit on top of him. Her weight was divided between his stomach and her knees that were on either side of him. She was gazing down at him and grinning widely.

"I love you so much, Naruto," Sakura said tenderly.

Naruto smiled softly.

"I love you too, Sakura-chan. Are you still tired?"

"Not really... Let's just lie down and talk for a while."

"Okay."

They stared at each other silently for a few seconds until Sakura detached herself from him and they laid side by side. Sakura pulled the bedsheet over herself while Naruto remained on top of it. They talked about the past, about what Sasuke might be doing, and about their other friends. They smiled happily thinking about how they got to this point in their lives, and feeling like they wouldn't want to change it for anything.

/

After some time, Naruto finally yawned. The pinkette turned her head to meet a pair of icy blue eyes.

"I guess I'm tired now," Naruto said.

"Okay. We can go to sleep, then. But, Naruto, aren't you hot?" Sakura asked.

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"I guess I am, but what can I do about it?"

Sakura frowned lightly.

"You could take that shirt off. The sleeves are long, so it has to be making you feel warm."

Naruto looked up at the ceiling.

"I guess I could... I just didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable, or make you feel like I expect something from you. I never want you to feel that way around me, Sakura-chan."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Naruto... I'm not sure if that's even possible. In the entire time you've known me, how many times have I told you that you were making me feel uncomfortable?"

He only thought about it for a moment.

"I guess you never have..."

"So... You're still wearing that shirt because...?"

Naruto sat up and took the shirt off, tossing it to the side of the bed. Sakura smiled softly.

"There, I'm not wearing it anymore."

"Good."

He still hadn't cooled down enough to want to cover himself, so Sakura took the opportunity to examine his chest as he laid back down. His physique was quite appealing to her. Naruto saw that she was looking, but said nothing. She noticed a good-sized circular patch that was slightly lighter in tone compared to the rest of his skin. One had to be quite close to notice it. Feeling a sudden urge, she reached out and ran her fingers across it gently, a timid expression on her face. Naruto watched her as she did so.

"Naruto..." Sakura whispered.

She swallowed. Her eyes widened and dilated. She blinked a few times. The blonde watched her calmly as she continued to stare at the faded scar.

"This was from..." she continued slowly.

Sakura didn't want to say it. She felt like she would start crying if she did. She wished so desperately that it could be from something else, even though she knew it couldn't be. And she knew that when she voiced her belief as to its origin, it would become irrevocably true. Then this inevitable truth would become crystal clear, and she would have no means of denial or escape. Her lower lip quivered. She didn't want to make a sound.

Unfortunately, Naruto misunderstood the reason for her silence.

"Chidori," the blonde quietly intoned.

The floodgates opened.

"No... Naruto... Why? Naruto, why?! Why was it me, Naruto?! Why?! No... No... No...! You could've been killed... And I wanted you to... But you're Naruto... How could I...? You're Naruto... Oh... This can't be... Tell me that it's a lie... I couldn't have hurt you... Not you... Never you, Naruto... I never wanted you to be hurt... Not for him... Not even for me... Oh, Naruto... Why did I...? Why to you, my Naruto...? Why...? Naruto... Naruto...!"

She grew more and more incoherent until she could only produce anguished sobs. She collapsed onto his chest as she did so, her cheek coming to rest on the spot in question. She wept tears that fell off her face and onto the affected area, anointing it with the salty water that her distress produced.

Naruto watched her uncomfortably. He really didn't know what to say.

"Sakura-chan... You didn't know?"

She looked up at him, the hot paths of liquid still visible on her face. Her nose was starting to visibly drip as well. She sniffed loudly.

"No... I didn't... No one told me... I knew he must have hurt you... I knew you didn't beat him... But I never knew that he tried to... I never knew that you almost... Naruto, I'm so sorry... I'm the worst... How can you stand to let me kiss you...? Why do you even let me touch you...? How can you stand to be with me...?"

Naruto looked at her with compassion, though he didn't smile. It was still a painful memory, and for many different reasons. And it would be a lie to say that most of them didn't have to do with Sakura. He was very happy to be with her, but the pain of that time was a life-defining experience for him. No amount of love she could show him would erase it. But he didn't need it to be erased. He just needed her.

"Sakura-chan... It wasn't your fault. You didn't know what would happen... You probably didn't think I would even end up fighting him... And you definitely didn't think he would try to kill me. It's okay."

Her eyes widened in horror.

"How is it okay?! He did try to kill you! Why didn't you tell me?! Oh, Naruto... I sent you to your death... This was a fatal wound... As a medical ninja, I know... If it wasn't for Kurama, you would never have survived... And I didn't even know about him back then... How could you possibly be okay with that...? How could you possibly be okay with what I've done to you...?"

Naruto finally smiled, albeit weakly.

"Because... I would have done it anyway. He was my best friend. It's true that I really didn't want to kill him because of my promise to you, but I don't think I would have been able to kill him anyway. I always tried to avoid killing anyone. So there's no way I could have killed my best friend... I didn't get hurt because of you, Sakura-chan. So please stop crying."

Sakura sniffed again. She rubbed her face on the bedsheet.

"But I betrayed you... I took advantage of you... You loved me, and I sent you off to die because of my love for him... It seems so twisted and sick... Only the worst kind of person would do something like that... I don't see how you can possibly be okay with it..."

Naruto sighed.

"You didn't know that either, Sakura-chan. It was obvious you didn't think my feelings were serious at all. I'm sure if you had known, you wouldn't have done that. Even back then, you were so caring. I've never thought you were a bad person or hated you for any of it... I just thought that you couldn't help the way you felt about him."

The pinkette gazed at him miserably.

"But, Naruto... I don't deserve... I'm really not a... Oh... I feel so terrible... I'm so sorry I asked that of you... I'm sorry that he was so ruthless... I'm so sorry that I loved him... I wish I never did... I really wish I never met him... Then you wouldn't have been hurt... Naruto..."

Naruto gave her a serious look.

"Sakura-chan... He tried to kill me the second time too. Trying to kill me is just what Teme did back then. You had nothing to do with it. And even if you did, you've more than paid me back. You risked your life for me... You always tried to help me... You saved my life... So don't think that this could ever change anything. I loved you back when I made that promise, I loved you even when he left me for dead, I loved you after that, and I always will. If you feel the same way, I don't care if it was wrong or not. It was a long time ago."

Sakura lifted herself off of his chest and sat up on the bed. She was slightly more composed as she looked into his eyes.

"Naruto, I do feel the same way... That's why this is killing me... I can't bear to hurt you... I would give up my own life if it was the only way to save yours... But I almost killed you... And it was over something so selfish... It's tearing me apart inside... I don't know if I can live with it..."

"He was the one who almost killed me, Sakura-chan... And that would have happened even if you hadn't done anything. I'm telling you that I would have gotten this injury with or without my promise to you. Can you please believe me?"

She nodded very reluctantly.

"I'll try, Naruto..."

Naruto sat up and moved to hug her, wrapping his arms over hers. She timidly rested her head in the crook of his neck.

"Sakura-chan, you need to try to forgive yourself. Because I'm not going anywhere either."

Sakura started to feel very sedate in this position. She closed her eyes and nuzzled deeper into him.

"Good... I know I don't deserve this... I don't deserve to be held by you... To be loved by you... But please let me have this anyway... I know I'm wretched... I know I'm trash... But I need this... I feel like I'm going to fall apart otherwise... And I'm sorry... But even though I know I'm not worthy of you... I still want you... So please stay with me anyway... Because I love you... I'm begging you... Please don't leave me, Naruto..."

The blonde smiled.

"I told you I'm not going anywhere, Sakura-chan. Stop being silly."

They remained like this for some time. Eventually, Naruto felt her breathing become very regular. He gently rested her head on one of the pillows and covered her with the bedsheet. Seeing that she was sound asleep, he laid beside her and pulled the sheet over himself. He rested his hand idly on the patch of skin, lost in thought. After a while, he finally closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

/

Naruto woke up in the early morning, the sun shining in through a window. He looked to his left and saw the pinkette sleeping next to him. Her delicate features were slightly agitated as she breathed softly, her pink hair fanning out across the pillow. He got out of bed as carefully as he could so as to not wake her, taking soft steps as he walked into the bathroom. When he entered, he shut the door gently and sat down, thinking about the previous night. He wondered why everything had happened this way and what it said about the two of them. He heard a rumbling voice in his subconscious.

 _As the shirtless blonde stood up to his ankles in the water, he looked up to see the greatest of the tailed beasts gazing imperiously down at him. Kurama opened his fierce jaws and began to speak._

 ** _"Kit... She was right. I was there. I saw it all. Everything she said was the truth. I don't understand this human emotion of love."_**

 _Naruto frowned at the great fox, who was showing off two rows of gigantic teeth._

 _"Kurama, I don't care. I love her. I need her with me. So I don't care if what she did was wrong... I can't bring myself to care. As long as she loves me, I never will be able to."_

 _The fox looked away haughtily._

 _ **"Hmph. That's exactly what I don't understand."**_

/

Sakura slowly opened her eyes. Her heart sank as she recalled where she was. She thought of Naruto suffering at the hands of Sasuke because he wanted her to be happy. She thought of him bleeding all alone, not sure if he would survive, thinking of a girl. It was torture to think about Naruto in that state. There had been no comfort for him. He had been horribly injured. He was probably going to die, and for a girl who didn't love him. Because the girl loved the boy who had put him in that state, and she had seen him as a way to retrieve something she had lost. It was a truly monstrous action on her part. The pinkette didn't understand how someone could be that cruel.

She didn't understand how anyone could be so cruel to someone like Naruto, who cared so much for others. She couldn't imagine how someone could take advantage of him to get something they wanted, especially if he could die as a result. She couldn't bear the thought of him dying, especially in such a brutal way. It was ghastly to think about. So she thought the girl was disgusting. She was absolutely vile. She hated her. If she had the opportunity, she wouldn't show her any mercy. She'd beat her until she was at the edge of death to make her understand what Naruto had to go through. She really hated anyone who could do something like that to him. She would never have let it happen. She wouldn't have let him go. She felt that she couldn't allow any course of action that could risk his life, as his life was simply too precious. She would do anything to protect it. That girl obviously didn't feel the same.

And yet... The girl's name was Sakura. It was her. She had been the one. And there was a pain in her chest that had yet to go away.

 _Why...? Why does it have to be true...? Why can't it be a lie...?_ Sakura thought.

Her heart felt like it was being crushed.

 _How could I have asked that of him? Because I loved someone who didn't care? Someone who was willing to kill a friend? Why couldn't I have loved him instead? I would have been so miserable if Sasuke-kun had killed Naruto. I don't know if I could have even gone on. The guilt would have destroyed me. How could I have wanted him to risk that? How could I have been so stupid?_

She had cared about Naruto so much, even back then. But not only had she allowed that to happen to him, she had actually asked that he put himself in that situation. It didn't matter how many times he told her that he would've done the same thing regardless. Sakura refused to accept that. It was far too convenient an escape. To accept it would be a craven act. It was nothing but a lie. For one simple reason.

Doing nothing was not the only other option available to her. She could have told Naruto to be careful. She could have asked him to promise her that he would survive. She could have begged him not to risk himself for Sasuke or for her. She could have used the influence that she had over him for his sake instead of for her own. And there was no way that Naruto could ever convince her that it would have made no difference had she done that instead. It wasn't even worth bringing up. To do so would only hurt both of them.

So she knew the truth.

She had used her emotions and his feelings for her to manipulate him into a situation that could have resulted in his death. And she had done so for her own benefit, and for no other reason. Sakura didn't know if she could ever forgive herself for that. She could risk her life for him a thousand times and it probably wouldn't feel like it was enough. She understood now why Naruto had felt she hadn't really cared about him. What she had done had been so selfish, so very dangerous, perpetrated against someone so precious, and possessed a design that was so dark and sinister... That she was simply beyond redemption.

The only thing that she felt like she could do was to move on for Naruto. And for herself. As long as she could still show him how much she loved him, her heart would remain intact. But if she lost him over this... She didn't want to think about what would become of her. There was nothing that was more terrifying to her than the thought of Naruto hating her.

 _Naruto..._

She turned her head to look at him, even though she knew it would only make her feel worse to see his comforting visage. She saw that she was alone in the bed. She sat up in a panic and looked around the room. As she found that it was empty, her eyes began to water as the pain in her chest got worse.

 _No... He isn't here... He left me... He's gone... He must have thought about it more... He must have realized how unforgivable it was... How disgusting it was... How cruel and selfish I was... And he couldn't bear to look at me anymore... He probably never wants to see me again... What am I going to do...? I loved him... I loved him so much... He was everything to me... I want him back... Naruto..._

The pinkette's hands were clutching the bedsheet. She brought it up to her face. It smelled so much like Naruto. Her insides were twisting into knots. She was quivering as tears fell down her cheeks.

"Naruto..." she choked out.

Sakura covered her face in the thin fabric and sobbed, the aroma reminding her of everything they had shared together. All their experiences training together, being a team, their long history as friends. Their journey to visit Sasuke after the war. How she had shyly shown him how much she loved and trusted him the night before. She wondered why he had changed his mind. She thought he was going to accept her even though she didn't deserve it. She believed him because she knew how caring and generous he was. She wondered what had gone wrong.

"Naruto...! Naruto, I'm so sorry! Please come back! I promise I'll do my best to make it up to you! Please, Naruto!" Sakura wailed.

The bathroom door swung open. Sakura didn't hear or see it as she continued to cry into the crumpled linen, truly distraught. She was surprised when she felt a pair of strong hands take hold of hers, causing the sheet to fall into her lap. She looked up, her eyes meeting the concerned blue orbs of Naruto.

"Sakura-chan... I-" he started to say.

The pinkette leapt off the bed and onto Naruto, latching onto him desperately.

"Naruto... Oh, Naruto... I thought you left... I thought you hated me... I was so terrified... I didn't know what to do... God, Naruto... Don't scare me like that again..."

The surprised Naruto sheepishly put his arms around her, rubbing the top of her head in a comforting way.

"I was in the bathroom... This is my apartment, Sakura-chan. Why would I leave? Wouldn't I have asked you to leave if I was mad at you?"

Sakura blushed and wiped her eyes.

"Shut up... Just don't leave me again, okay?"

Naruto grinned lightly.

"I won't, Sakura-chan. But I do need to get dressed. So you'll have to let go of me at some point."

Sakura shook her head as she lightly swayed while she hung onto him tightly. She had a weary smile on her face.

"Not yet... I'm not done... So stay right where you are."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. She was still in her same state of dress, while he hadn't bothered to put on his shirt before going to the bathroom.

"But... Don't you want to get dressed too?"

Sakura chuckled.

"Nope... This is just fine."

The blonde sighed, a content smile on his face.

Their embrace was full of happiness and love. They didn't ever want to lose what they shared.

But they both knew how wrong she had been. So as he acquiesced to her request, the words that went unspoken were deafening.

It was like the chirping of a thousand birds.


	7. To Sleep Next to You

After Sakura was satisfied, she pulled back and gave Naruto a soft smile. Naruto watched with concern as she went to retrieve her bag and started putting her clothes back on, her eyes still red from her crying.

"So... Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" he asked.

The pinkette looked up at him and smiled weakly.

"Yeah, I'm fine... Hey, are you going to study at the Hokage office today?" Sakura asked.

Naruto nodded. He started putting on his clothes as well.

"Yeah..."

"Is it okay if I meet you there in a few hours? I told Ino that I would have breakfast with her today. I could call it off, but..."

After pulling his shirt on, Naruto shook his head.

"No, that's okay. You should go spend time with her. I don't want to take up all your time, Sakura-chan."

Sakura grinned.

"But... I like being monopolized by you."

Naruto laughed.

"Well, I can do that later."

Sakura smirked flirtatiously as Naruto was putting on his jacket.

"Okay. You'd better. I'm going to hold you to that."

He looked at her with seriousness.

"Sakura-chan... I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way."

They both laughed.

/

When they had finished getting dressed, they exited the apartment via the front door. Sakura gave Naruto a brief hug, kissing him on the cheek before she pulled back. Naruto watched her with concern.

"Okay, Naruto... I'll see you later, then. Please don't forget that I love you."

His eyes widened with worry as she started to walk away.

"Sakura-chan, wait."

She turned to look at him with a curious expression.

"What's wrong, Naruto?"

The blonde gazed down at his shoes in contemplation.

"... You know I would never leave you, right? I could never... I love you way too much. It doesn't matter what you do to me. I'll only leave you if you tell me to."

Sakura's green eyes widened. She felt like her heart was being compressed again. She didn't think she would ever feel like she deserved this kind of devotion.

"Naruto... I never want to do anything that would give you a reason. It would hurt me more than it would hurt you if I did. But if you say I don't have to worry, then I'll try not to."

Naruto smiled softly.

"Okay. As long as you know that. I'll see you later, Sakura-chan."

She smiled and nodded.

"Okay. Bye, Naruto."

The pinkette turned to leave. Naruto watched wistfully as she walked away.

/

After having gone home to freshen up and change her clothes, Sakura went to the coffee shop to meet Ino. She found her sitting at the one of the smaller tables with some pastries in front of her. The elegant blonde woman waved at her energetically. Sakura walked up and sat down across from her.

"Hey, Forehead! It's so good to see you. The danishes here are great. You'd better eat some of them, or I'm going to get fat," Ino said.

"Thanks, Ino-pig."

The pinkette reached out and took one, putting it on a plate that Ino had laid out. The blonde waved at one of the people working there and the server walked over. They ordered their coffee. The man nodded and walked away. Ino grinned at Sakura, who was acting a bit more reserved than usual.

"So, Forehead, how's it going?"

Sakura's infamous brow wrinkled in thought.

"I don't really know. I spent the night with Naruto last night. It's gotten really intense between us."

Ino's eyes widened.

"Wow, really? I didn't expect that... Did you at least use protection?"

Sakura frowned at her.

"That's not what I meant. And besides, I have a jutsu for that."

Ino raised an eyebrow.

"I've been told that there is no good jutsu for that, though."

Sakura opened her mouth to respond as the server walked up and brought their coffee. Both women blushed at being interrupted while having such a conversation.

"Thank you," Ino said, glancing at the man awkwardly.

The server simply nodded and walked off. They both sipped their coffees. Sakura looked at Ino again.

"Shishou taught me one. It's a medical jutsu. I'm not sure where it came from."

Ino's pale eyes narrowed in understanding.

"I see. Maybe I could learn it. I may not be at your level, but I'm a medical ninja too, you know."

Sakura tilted her head at her.

"I don't know. You probably could. Why do you need it, though? Are you seeing someone?"

Ino grinned amusedly.

"Well, Sasuke-kun is going to come back eventually. It doesn't hurt to be prepared, Forehead."

The pinkette laughed with great mirth.

"Hahaha! Seriously? Never change, Ino. I wish you the best of luck with that. You're going to need it."

Ino stared at her blankly.

"Wow, you've really changed, Forehead. I remember a time when you would've tried to tear my hair out for saying something like that."

Sakura casually took a bite out of her danish before responding.

"I just don't feel that way about him anymore. I'm not even sure that the way I felt about him was actually love. The way I feel about Naruto is totally different. I was obsessed with getting Sasuke-kun to look at me. With Naruto, I don't need him to do anything. I just love him."

Ino leaned in a little closer.

"That reminds me. If that wasn't what you meant, then what did you mean when you said it was getting intense with him?"

Sakura frowned lightly.

"It's just that I've hurt him so much. I don't understand why he even wants to be around me, much less be in a relationship with me."

"You mean, because of the way you used to feel about Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura frowned more deeply.

"That isn't even really the reason, and it's definitely no excuse. I just didn't think about his feelings when he was practically my best friend. It was horrible of me."

Ino looked at her with curiosity.

"Well, if he loves you, then what you did way back then obviously doesn't bother him anymore, if it ever did. So what's the problem?"

Sakura sighed.

"It just bothers me. And I'm sure it does still bother him some that I didn't care about his feelings back then. And there's nothing I can ever do to change what happened. That's the problem."

Ino grinned conspiratorially.

"Well, you can make it up to him. You even have a jutsu to make it easier."

The pinkette glared at her.

"Ino-pig... I'm going to regret telling you about that, aren't I?"

Ino nodded, still grinning.

"Yup."

/

After she had finished with Ino, Sakura headed towards the Hokage office. She noticed that a few villagers gave her dirty looks. She knew that the Hyuga, and as a result Hinata, were very popular among the civilians for their economical support of the village. When Naruto had been with Hinata, the couple were often talked about in happy tones. People had been excited that the Yondaime's son was involved with the Hyuga heiress. And now he wasn't, and it was because of her.

In the eyes of normal people, there was nothing special about her. And the things that did stand out weren't generally positive. Sasuke was far from popular, and the way she had felt about him in the past was hardly a secret. And Kiba had only made things worse on that front. She wasn't sure if some people would ever view her in a good light. Her heart sank thinking about how bad it would make Naruto feel to learn about this.

When she arrived, she saw Kakashi sitting behind the desk while Naruto was facing away from her, studying some documents scattered on a table. She nodded at Kakashi and proceeded to sneak up on the blonde, giving him a comforting rub between the shoulder blades. His head swiveled to look and he smiled when he saw her. She grinned back.

"Hey there, Naruto. Are you doing good?" Sakura asked.

"Well, sort of. But I'm doing better now that you're here, Sakura-chan," he replied.

Sakura chuckled.

"Haha. Give me a second to talk to Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto nodded.

"Okay."

She walked over to where her sensei was sitting. His head rose from his book to acknowledge her.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei. Can you tell me more about this mission? Naruto just told me that it's a diplomatic mission. But I'd like to know more about it."

The white-haired man nodded.

"It's a mission to the Fire Country capital. A representative from Konoha just needs to be present for some official talks. I don't think he will even have to say anything, but someone needs to be there. You would technically be there as his bodyguard, so even less would be expected of you," the Rokudaime explained.

Sakura smiled.

"Okay. That's a relief. I was worried that we might need to do something to prepare for it."

Kakashi eye-smiled.

"No, the two of you can just have fun doing whatever you want. Just be sure to report all activities to me in the mission report. I'll have to issue a pay cut if you aren't sufficiently thorough."

The pinkette frowned deeply.

"You can be sure that I'll report on all of our conduct. But only as it pertains to the mission."

Kakashi shook his head.

"No, I'm making it an additional stipulation that you give a detailed report on any actions taken when the two of you are together as the designated mission team. This applies for the entire duration. To ensure that Konoha's assets are being used properly, oversight is necessary. As the Hokage, I am obligated to see to that. So it'll be your responsibility, Sakura. Don't let me down."

Sakura's eye twitched. She turned and walked off to assist Naruto with his studies without saying another word to Kakashi, who laughed and went back to reading his book.

/

Rock Lee was training by himself in the training field that Team Gai had always used. Tenten wasn't there because she had to renovate her family's weapons shop, so she couldn't train with him today. Even when she was there, things just weren't the same as they were. Life was so much more lonely for the Beautiful Green Beast these days.

His best friend Neji was gone. His master, Gai, the man who had always been like a father to him, could never be a shinobi again. So they could no longer do most of the things that they used to do together. No more training, sparring, or running laps around Konoha. Though he still spent a lot of time with the man, Lee simply had to accept that things had changed. His youth, though still blazing bright, had changed its meaning forever. Since his youth had changed, the ways in which he expressed that youth would have to change also.

For instance, though he had never been optimistic, he had now truly lost all hope when it came to Sakura ever returning his feelings. He had seen her a number of times since she started seeing Naruto. And she had been with Naruto a couple of those times. Lee had observed something then.

Lee knew Haruno Sakura's facial expressions very well. He had seen her gazing moon-eyed at Sasuke a few times in the distant past. But the way she looked at Naruto was even stronger than that. There was some uncontrollable emotion behind it. It was as if she was going to run up and hug him at any moment.

So the green-clad shinobi knew he didn't have a chance anymore. He had known that for a while. But why, then, had he stuck his foot in his mouth when he was with Naruto and Tenten? What had been his reason for saying that? He certainly didn't actually believe what he had said. So why had he chosen to alienate his friend? He knew he had felt something that prompted him to say that, but he didn't understand what that feeling was.

Lee pondered this. Certainly, he knew that relationships were entirely different from the ninja arts. No amount of hard work could ever make Sakura stop looking at Naruto that way. He had never had difficulty understanding that concept. But why did he struggle so much with understanding the emotion he had felt? He knew that Naruto had something that he didn't. And it was something unique. It couldn't be replicated, and he couldn't hope to gain it or to match it through other means no matter how hard he tried. That knowledge had provoked the feeling that he didn't understand. An unfamiliar expression had provoked an unfamiliar emotion in Gai's student.

He continued to think on this while he danced about and struck the different training dummies. He would have to do some investigation. He knew he needed to apologize to Naruto, but it wouldn't do to apologize without being able to provide an explanation. He could ask Tenten. She was fairly understanding when it came to emotions. Or he could ask his master Gai, the only man whose youth exceeded his own. His advice had always been invaluable.

Lee was committed to finding an answer.

/

The few days that remained until the day of the mission passed uneventfully. Sakura and Naruto continued their typical routines, seeing each other on occasion. Sakura took time to familiarize herself with the effects of the jutsu that Tsunade had taught her. The first time she used it, she had stopped feeling any peripheral effects after a few hours. She tried using it again the next day and the effects had stopped being noticable after a matter of seconds. The day after that, she had felt nothing at all when she used it. She was quite happy with this as she had found it very distracting, though it wasn't unpleasant.

She met up with Naruto in front of the village gates, bringing enough provisions for two days of travel. She gave him a quick hug when she saw him, her hands on his shoulders as she pulled away with a friendly smile. He gazed warmly back at her.

"Ready to go?"

The blonde nodded.

"Yeah... Let's go, Sakura-chan."

They walked off side by side.

/

The pair made small talk for hours as they walked. There was some nervousness, but their destination was close enough that they wouldn't need to make camp. They could rest in the capital. Naruto turned to look at Sakura.

"You know, this reminds me of that journey we went on to visit Teme. My life has changed so much since then. I'm so appreciative of your care for me, Sakura-chan... You never gave up on me... Thank you so much," he said emotionally.

Sakura looked at him with wide eyes.

"Of course I didn't, Naruto... I'm sorry that I didn't try harder to show you how important you were to me before. You mean everything to me, and I should have told you that. I shouldn't have let you think for even one second that I was willing to let go of you so that I could be with Sasuke-kun. It was my fault. I'm sorry," she replied.

Naruto shook his head.

"Don't think anything of it. It doesn't matter to me anymore. I'm happy. I wouldn't change any of it. As long as I have you, I'll be happy, Sakura-chan. You don't even have to do anything special. As long as you're there, everything is great."

Sakura finally smiled.

"Well, Naruto, I love you, so it's not hard for me to spend time with you. If you want me to keep doing it, then I will."

The blonde smiled back at her.

"I love you too, Sakura-chan. And I always will. I'm completely sure of that, now. I could never be happy with Hinata or anyone else. Now that I'm with you, I have no doubt of that anymore. I need you. It's as simple as that."

Sakura blushed lightly.

"Naruto... I need you too."

Naruto blushed as well.

"Then... I'll be there. Forever."

They walked on in silence. But it wasn't at all awkward or uncomfortable. They had gotten to the point where they understood each other so well that they were just content to be in each other's presence without either of them needing to say a word.

/

They arrived at the Fire Country capital. The mission really did end up being as uneventful as Kakashi said it would be. Naruto spent about an hour in a room with many nobles and delegates, talking of political affairs. He was never called upon to say a word. He was approached in an unofficial capacity by many people who knew him from his actions in the war and wanted to shake his hand. Some would ask the beautiful kunoichi at his side to give her name, though they didn't ask what her relation to him was. It would be a silly question. It seemed all too obvious from how they carried themselves.

This became more evident when they arrived at the hotel. They were standing in front of the counter, and Naruto told the owner that they were the ninja from Konoha and provided his identification.

"Okay, we have two rooms for you. It's number 403 and 404. Here are the keys," the concierge said.

Naruto didn't take the keys right away, glancing over at Sakura. She nodded at him.

"Uh... We're only going to need one room," Naruto replied.

The concierge simply nodded, not really caring.

"Just take the one for 403, then. Have a nice night."

Naruto took the key and they went upstairs to the room. It was quite nice, though the bed was a bit small, not quite queen size. The both of them could still fit comfortably lying side by side, though. Sakura glanced over at him a bit shyly as he took off his jacket and shoes.

"So... Are you tired, Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto looked back at her neutrally.

"Yeah, I guess I am. I'm not exhausted, but it took a while to get here. You want to just turn in?" he asked.

Sakura nodded.

"Yeah, I'm ready to sleep."

She sat on the bed and removed her shoes, then casually stripped until she was only wearing her white undershirt and underwear. The blonde blushed deeply and glanced away. After putting her clothes in her backpack, Sakura looked over at the blushing Naruto.

"Naruto, we've been over this. I'm your girlfriend. All of those people could tell that I was. Why are you still so surprised?" she asked.

He looked down with a thoughtful expression.

"It's not that I'm really surprised... It's just that you have an effect on me when you do that."

The pinkette cocked her head at him.

"What kind of effect?"

Naruto blushed more deeply.

"Well... I find it really... Exciting, I guess."

Sakura smiled coyly. She didn't expect to need it, but she had used the jutsu a while ago.

"Isn't that a good thing? We're eventually going to do stuff like that, Naruto. And I'm not opposed to doing those things with you. I love you, which means I'm attracted to you, too."

Naruto finally looked up at her.

"I'm happy that you feel that way... I'm really happy just to be with you, Sakura-chan. I don't expect anything from you. But you can drive me crazy by doing the simplest things sometimes."

Sakura grinned conspiratorially. She went to lie down and pulled the blanket over herself before looking at Naruto in a sultry way.

"Well, if I can do that much with something simple, imagine what I could do to you if I really put my mind to it."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"But, Sakura-chan... You..."

Sakura laughed.

"Haha. I'm not going to do anything right now, Naruto. You don't have to be scared of me. But seriously, take your pants off and get in the bed already, you silly dope."

Naruto hurriedly followed her command, still blushing as he did so. He laid on his side under the blanket, facing away from the pinkette. A few moments later, he heard her speak in a soft voice.

"Don't do that," she said.

He turned over to face her with a curious expression. She was frowning.

"Don't do what, Sakura-chan?"

"Don't turn away from me. I want to be able to see you. Naruto, why do you think I wanted to sleep over at your apartment to begin with? It wasn't because I wanted to do anything physical with you. It's because your safety and happiness are so important to me. It makes me so happy to sleep in the same bed with you, because I can be there when you go to sleep. Then when I wake up, I'll be able to see how you are right away. I'll know you're still safe and happy. That's what I want."

Naruto stared at her with wide eyes. Her expression softened into a shy smile.

"Naruto... It means everything to me," she finished.

His features softened with emotion. He felt close to tears from her heartfelt words.

"Sakura-chan... Thank you... I don't know what I did to deserve you caring about me so much, but I'm so happy that you do."

Sakura smiled wider.

"Naruto, you did do something to deserve it. You're Naruto. You deserve it by being you. And I would do anything to make sure that you keep being that amazing person that I love. So when you needed me back then, that was an easy choice for me. Because I have to protect that person. I'll never let him be sad. I'll never let anything bad happen to him. For him, I'll do everything that I can. You can be sure of that, because I remember how that baka did everything for me, too. He's my hero and I'll always love him. And I won't ever let him forget it."

The pinkette moved her head forward to give him a soft kiss on the lips.

"Sleep well, Naruto," she whispered.

She turned to lay on her back, gazing at the ceiling contentedly. Naruto watched her from his position lying on his side. He wondered how he could have gotten so lucky as to become her precious person. He knew that if he had to do everything over, he'd take the pain of Sasuke's jutsu a thousand times if it meant he could meet her again.


	8. Blonde, Red, Pink

The next morning, Sakura had woken up first. She glanced over to see Naruto sleeping peacefully before quietly taking her bag into the bathroom to take a shower. When she had finished, she came out fully dressed to see that he was still asleep. The pinkette smiled at this.

She lightly sat in the bed, garbed in all her kunoichi gear. She leaned her head on her hand and watched him. He looked so calm as he slept. She wished he could be like this more often. He was always tightly wound, always trying so hard to do so much for everyone. She wished he would just take time to relax for his own sake.

A few minutes later, he finally opened his eyes. He turned and his eyes widened as he saw Sakura. She smirked at him.

"Did you sleep well, Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah, I did... How long have you been awake?" he replied.

"Not that long. Don't worry about it. You can stay in bed if you want to."

The blonde shook his head.

"Nah... I'm sure you want to get back to Konoha. I'll start getting ready."

He got out of bed and glanced at her. She had a concerned expression on her face.

"Actually, why don't we go look around the capital? It might be fun, since we're here."

Naruto nodded and grinned lightly.

"Sure, Sakura-chan. Let me go take a shower and get ready."

Sakura grinned as well.

"Okay."

The pinkette stayed seated on the bed, watching as Naruto's back disappeared behind the bathroom door. She thought about the way his life was. He had always had a great burden, ever since the day he was born. But things were peaceful now, and the burden he was born with wasn't even a burden anymore. He was glad to have Kurama. Yet it still felt like he had to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. And it would certainly be no easier for him after he was Hokage.

She wasn't sure if she had actually reduced his burden. He was happy to be loved by her. But he still had those same questing, active eyes. Sometimes when the two of them were together, they'd go away. He would look at her tenderly with a real smile. Not a grin that embodied how heroic and capable he was. But Sakura found it all too rare.

She wondered if it'd always be this way.

/

The pair were walking around the capital side by side. There were a lot of people there. Sakura turned to look at Naruto. His eyes were a little wide as he looked around at all the impressively tall buildings. The pinkette smiled at this.

"Hey, Naruto. I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat, okay?" she said.

He looked at her and grinned.

"Sure," Naruto replied.

They walked off towards the commercial area. Glancing at him again, Sakura saw the familiar questing look. She frowned lightly.

A few moments later, she wrapped an arm around him and rested her head against his shoulder. He looked at her in surprise.

"Sakura-chan..." the blonde mumbled.

Sakura smiled. She preferred that he focus on her, even if it would make the both of them a little self-conscious.

"This is okay, right?"

Naruto smiled softly back.

"I guess it is."

/

They had bought some ice cream that came in small paper cups. Naruto got vanilla while Sakura got strawberry. They sat on a bench as they ate it with plastic spoons.

Sakura smirked, remembering something. She set her cup on the bench and glanced over at him.

"Naruto... Give me your spoon," she playfully ordered.

His eyes widened a little at the look on her face.

"You want to try mine, Sakura-chan? Sure," Naruto said, handing her his cup with the spoon in it.

Sakura took it from him and collected a small amount of the frozen treat in the spoon. She held it a few inches in front of his face.

"Here."

He stared at the spoon for a moment, blushing lightly. Then he opened his mouth and accepted it. She immediately scooped up some more and presented it to him.

"Sakura-chan... You..."

Sakura only grinned in response. She scooted closer to him, leaning her shoulder on his as she continued to feed him. Naruto started to relax and just enjoyed being fed by her. When the cup was empty, he looked almost drowsy.

The pinkette found that she liked the way his eyes looked now. It was a job well done. She set his empty cup down and stood up. Naruto looked at her questioningly as he stood as well.

"But, Sakura-chan... What about your ice cream?" he asked.

She put her arm around him and leaned her head against his shoulder again.

"Nah, I'm done. Let's go back to Konoha, Naruto."

The blonde stared at the top of her pink head for a moment before finally smiling. He understood her. She didn't care about the ice cream. She cared about him.

As they walked off, Naruto again wondered how he had gotten so lucky as to become her precious person.

/

On the road back to Konoha, they had been making small talk. Naruto wondered about something. He glanced over at the pinkette.

"Hey, Sakura-chan. Do you think I should cut my hair?" he asked.

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Cut it like how?" she asked in reply.

"Like, kinda short? Like the way Uchiha Obito had it? I thought his hair looked cool."

She only needed to think about it for a moment.

"Naruto... I don't think that would look good. I don't love you for your looks, but please don't do that."

Naruto gave her a confused look.

"But... How come?"

Sakura looked at him like a sensei would a student.

"Well, do you remember how I told you that you were handsome like your father was? Your father had this nice blonde hair that was kinda long. It framed his face in a good way. Yours isn't as long, but it still does the same thing for you. So you definitely shouldn't make it any shorter."

Naruto nodded.

"I see."

After a moment, he frowned.

"Wait... Are you saying that my dad was better looking than me?" he asked.

Sakura chuckled.

"No, not really. I'd say that, to me, you're more handsome. Because you're Naruto. I thought Yondaime-sama was handsome, and I liked him when I met him, because he was your father, but he's not you, Naruto."

Naruto smiled. Of course she would say that.

"Oh, okay. Thanks, Sakura-chan."

Sakura nodded.

"Don't mention it, Naruto."

/

When they arrived back in Konoha, it had gotten pretty late. They were both very tired. It was too late to go report to Kakashi. Sakura glanced at Naruto wearily as they entered the gates.

"I'm really tired. Is it okay if I just crash at your place? It's closer," she said.

Naruto nodded.

"Of course, Sakura-chan. You don't even have to ask. You can go there whenever you want," he replied.

Sakura yawned.

"Thanks, Naruto..."

When they arrived at his apartment, they left their gear in the kitchen area. They went to the bedroom.

Sakura casually disrobed as she had before, but Naruto was too tired to be enchanted by it. He got undressed as well, changing into a pair of pajama pants, but staying shirtless. Nights in the Fire Country were still somewhat hot. He glanced at the pinkette, who was clad in her undershirt and underwear as before, laying the clothes she had worn into a neat pile that she set at the foot of the bed.

"I'm sorry you don't have any sleeping clothes here, Sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled at him weakly in reassurance.

"I'll be fine once I'm under the covers. I'm just tired. Maybe I'll bring some over here that I can use next time. But let's go to sleep now, Naruto. I feel like I'm going to pass out."

Naruto smiled back and got into the bed. He waited for her to lie down and put the bedsheets over both of them.

"Night, Sakura-chan."

She didn't respond, having fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Naruto followed soon after.

/

Sakura opened her eyes, hearing a quiet sobbing. There was a small amount of light shining in through the window. She thought that the sun must just be starting to rise. She looked over at Naruto, who was sitting up in the bed shaking a little with his face in his hands. Her eyes widened and she sat up in the bed as well.

"Naruto... What's wrong?" she asked.

He lowered his hands and turned to look at her, his eyes red with tears.

"Oh... Sakura-chan... I'm sorry I woke you up," Naruto said.

Sakura frowned.

"Don't worry about it. What happened, Naruto?"

He looked down at the bedcovers.

"Well... I had a dream."

She cocked her head at him.

"A nightmare?"

Naruto shook his head.

"No... My mother was there."

Sakura's eyes widened. She had heard a little about Uzumaki Kushina. Naruto had gotten to meet her when he had been training with Killer Bee. The pinkette felt bad that he only got to meet her the one time. She didn't know what she would do without her own mother. Her mother had always been such a big part of her life.

"Oh..."

The blonde smiled wistfully.

"She wanted me to tell her everything that happened since the last time I saw her. I told her all about you. Everything about you. She was really happy. She said that you sound a lot like her. I told her that you were. I told her how happy I was. She said that she was proud of me."

Sakura smiled softly.

"Well, I'm flattered that you think I'm like her. You make her sound so amazing."

Naruto looked up to meet her eyes.

"I... didn't know it was a dream, though. It felt real. We were just standing outside. I thought that she somehow came back. So when she said that, I told her I couldn't wait for her to meet you. But she said she couldn't."

He sighed. Sakura's eyes softened.

"I was really confused. I didn't see why she couldn't. So I asked her why not. And she said... 'I'm sorry, Naruto. This is only a dream.' Then I woke up," Naruto explained.

The pinkette rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto... That must have been hard... I wish I could've met her, too."

Naruto looked down again.

"It's just so unfair. I loved getting to know your parents, Sakura-chan. They're so great. I wish my parents were still around, too... But I mostly just wish I could have my mother. It was great meeting my father, but when I met my mother... She was just incredible. She was more amazing in reality than anything that I ever imagined she might be like. I really loved her."

Sakura's eyes softened even more. She remembered a time when she thought Naruto was lucky to not have parents. What a fool she had been.

"Naruto... I'm so sorry. I feel really bad."

He looked up at her and grinned lightly.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan. It usually doesn't bother me. It's not that big of a deal."

Then he laid his head back on the pillow, looking up at the ceiling with a neutral expression. Sakura stared at him with a growing look of dread in her wide, green eyes.

This was exactly what she hated. This made her heart hurt. He took on everything by himself. He never whined or complained. No one helped him and he didn't ask for help. He helped others, but never helped himself. He worried about others, but never worried about himself. He just kept soldiering on through everything. She wished he could just feel like it was okay to show weakness. She wanted to carry the burden for him when he couldn't. She never wanted him to struggle. She never wanted him to grin like that when there was something wrong. She wanted him to look to her. Because she had made his happiness her responsibility. She wasn't sure that he understood how seriously she took that responsibility. It wasn't just pretty words. His happiness was everything to her. She would protect it. She had to.

She thought that to do so must be her way of the ninja.

Sakura pulled her shirt off and threw it over the foot of the bed. Naruto looked at her with surprise.

"Sakura-chan, what are you-" he started to ask.

She rolled on top of him and started to kiss him on the lips, on the cheek, and on the side of his mouth, eventually going down to his neck. He wasn't being very responsive, but she continued on to his bare chest. She ran a hand through his hair as she kissed quickly down his body. After getting to the abdomen, she worked her way back up. But after she had gotten back up to his neck, she froze for a moment. Then she moved to sit up over his midsection, her weight balanced on her knees at either side of him, staring down at him with desperate intent. Naruto still looked bewildered.

"Sakura-chan..."

"Take it off," she said firmly.

Naruto blushed as he glanced down at the pink rose-patterned bra for a moment before meeting her eyes again.

"But..."

"I want to be with you. But I can't if you don't do anything. I feel like I'm just making you uncomfortable. There has to be something you've always wanted to do with me, Naruto. I don't want to deny you anything. I can't bear to do that. So please... Take it off."

His eyes widened. He swallowed hard.

"But, Sakura-cha-"

"You won't hurt me. Please don't say that we shouldn't. I want to... I've been wanting to for a while."

He gaped at her for a couple seconds until he finally sat up on the bed. He took a deep breath and slowly reached up, undoing the clasp of the bra. Then he moved both straps off her delicate shoulders, watching as they hung loosely around her arms. Sakura relaxed and let it fall. Naruto's eyes followed it as it dropped onto the bed. He stared at it for a few moments before looking back up at her face. She was still locking eyes with him.

Suddenly, she reached out to touch his face. There was a teardrop from earlier that had started to dry. She wiped it gently with the side of a finger, staring at him with intensity as she did. She then brought her hand to her mouth, tasting the salty liquid. Naruto stared at her with wide eyes for a few moments before looking down at her bare torso.

He had always thought of her figure as being very slender, but looking at it now, it was a bit different from what he had imagined. She had a little more body fat than he was expecting. But this generosity was something that he found quite appealing. Her curves were fairly pronounced despite her small build. She had a hint of a tummy, with an inward belly button that he found very cute. And though her breasts certainly weren't big, he felt like it would be a lie to say that they were small. He thought that one of them could fill his hand. And he found that he really wanted to try. He wanted to know how soft they were. He'd felt the vaguest sense of them through their clothes several times, as she always embraced him with so much abandon. She had never worried about it possibly looking improper, because she cared about him too much. Naruto wished that he hadn't taken so long to see that.

He didn't want to be rough with her. He had so much respect for her, and to make her feel discomfort would be unconscionable. So he reached up and caressed the underside of her left breast with his fingertips. The pinkette looked down to see what he was doing. He had touched her so lightly that she was sure that if he had put those fingers to her jugular instead, he wouldn't have felt her rapidly beating heart. Then the blonde moved his hand up to gently hold her nipple between two fingers. He touched the skin softly, feeling around the nearby sensitive bumps. Sakura let out a quick and shallow breath as he did. Then he finally covered the mound with his hand. It was indeed the perfect size to fit in his palm. She watched curiously as he did something similar on the other side. She really wanted to know what he was thinking.

When he had finished, Naruto lowered his hand. He looked up at her to see that she was still gazing down at him. There was an unspoken question on her lips.

 _Naruto... Don't you want me?_

His eyes widened. After a moment, he spoke.

"Sakura... I always have... We've always understood each other... And I would be lying if I said my fantasies weren't exactly like this."

Sakura's expression changed to one of slight curiosity. She watched him carefully.

"Okay... So... Just like this, Naruto? Are you sure?"

He nodded hesitantly, though he didn't understand why she needed him to confirm that. Sakura bit her lip as she looked at him. The anticipation in the air was palpable. She lifted herself off of him and stood up next to the bed, facing away from him. He watched as she took hold of the thin straps of her underwear and quickly pulled them down with little fanfare. As she bent slightly at the knees to let the garment fall to the ground, the blonde's eyes widened at seeing the muscles in her toned rump become taut and rigid.

His eyes widened even more when the pinkette turned around, as he found he couldn't look away from the patch of pink hair between her legs no matter how hard he tried. But Sakura either didn't notice, or if she did, she didn't care. She leaned over him and carefully untied the string on his pajama pants before slowly pulling them off and letting them fall off the edge of the bed. Naruto watched more closely as she did the same with his underwear in an even more clinical manner, being careful to lift the waistband up over his obvious arousal so as to not cause him discomfort.

Sakura eyed it for a few moments as she idly rubbed a spot just above her waist. Then, with some trepidation, she crawled back up onto the bed and got into a position sitting atop him that was similar to before. Both their hearts were pounding. As he observed her, she didn't meet his eyes, not wanting to lose her nerve. When Naruto felt the patch of pink hair brush against him for a moment, he finally realized what she intended to do. The pinkette was going to take him into her most sacred of places. His heart leapt into his throat. He didn't expect to be doing this so soon after having just seen it for the first time. As he was about to voice a stuttering objection, he saw and felt her gently take hold of him in her hand. It was slightly cold to the touch. He let out a shallow gasp, closing his eyes in an automatic response.

When he opened them, she had already started to lower herself onto him. He felt a moist and warm sensation as he saw that he was now just barely inside of her entrance. They both let out a brief, excited breath. Then the pinkette inhaled deeply as she reached down and grasped his hands. Naruto watched as she slowly pulled them towards her, trembling slightly as she did, until he found himself holding onto both her hips. He finally looked up and met her emerald orbs. She was looking at him meaningfully. She laid a hand on his abdomen, running her fingers across the chiseled muscles. They both stared at each other as she slowly released the breath that she had been holding. Then she smiled at him nervously and gave him a brief nod.

He didn't think that he could deny himself this either. Nor could he ever reject her in such a cruel way. She was openly offering him absolutely everything that was her, with nothing held back. He could never tell her that he wouldn't accept it. He felt that someone so amazing and beautiful should never feel unwanted. Not even for a second. He could never refuse, even if he wanted to. And he didn't want to. So he held tighter to her hips.

It was awkward and difficult at first. Jiraiya had once told Naruto that for girls, it could be uncomfortable the first time, and there was nothing that could really be done about it other than taking it slow and being patient. So he was careful not to use too much force. As he slowly went deeper, she let out a soft gasp. His movements through the tight and hot space became easier.

He began to feel a wondrous sensation moving up his body from his position inside her. And as he felt more of her inviting warmth, he grew more and more addicted to her. The soft, reassuring weight of her shapely backside was something that he now wished could always be there. The same was true of the satisfying feel of her hips and of the pleasant sound of her throaty breaths. His normally hyperactive mind had slowed to a crawl. His earthly cares and worries couldn't touch him anymore. All that was in his thoughts was the pinkette and the relaxing bliss he felt as he was being enveloped by her. He wanted to chase this profound happiness.

As he was moving into her, he slammed her down to meet him forcefully. She sank all the way down, crying out as she crashed hard against his pelvis. This felt very satisfying to the blonde. Her reaction, even more so. He wanted to do it again. But he was a little scared of how much he had enjoyed both the impact and her loud cry. He didn't know if Sakura would be okay with that kind of treatment. He never wanted her to feel like he was treating her like a piece of meat. He could never dominate her. She was so much prouder, so much smarter than him.

This was nothing like anything he had ever done by himself. That had been a cheap thrill at best. He had never felt like he was going to lose control like he did now. And he'd never enjoyed anything so much as this. All he wanted was to feel more of this pleasing heat that was clinging so tightly to him. He was completely mesmerized by the sight of himself being repeatedly consumed by the fleshy orifice marked by her pink hair. The beautiful color was a stark reminder that the lithe, pale body that was colliding with his belonged to Sakura. She was the most heavenly creature that he knew of. And though what he was doing with her was sinful, he never wanted to stop.

He wanted nothing more than to stay inside of her. He wished that this could last forever. She fit so perfectly around him. He wanted to let her have all of him. So he slammed her down onto him once more, impaling the pinkette up to the hilt. And as he felt her walls completely encasing him like a cocoon, he started to feel like he was slipping into oblivion, like he was being forced to his knees, being forced to surrender to her and her gentle warmth. This was a battle that he could never win against Sakura. Hearing her high-pitched cry, he knew he never had a chance. He was only growing more and more lost in her, his reason only slipping further away. And this was all happening inside of the soothingly hot place that she had so freely allowed him to enter.

But that was just how she was. There was an especially tender and nurturing care that she gave only to the one she loved.

He had never been more thankful that it was him.

His breath quickened as his head fell back and he stared at the ceiling. Naruto knew that, as powerful as he was, he was being rendered completely vulnerable. If Sakura, or anyone else, wanted to hurt him right now, he would be easily killed. One kunai is all it would take. Any attack on him would succeed. He'd drag Kurama kicking and screaming into the afterlife and the fox would never forgive him for this weakness.

But he knew she would never hurt him. She had told him that so many times. She just wanted to see him happy. She was not going to be disappointed. He'd never been so content. He'd never been so happy to be utterly helpless. She was doing what she always did, taking care of him in a way that he couldn't even understand. It was just like everything else she had done for him. It was just like her desperate hugs or the faint scratches on her arm. It meant everything, but she treated it as nothing, like it was as simple as breathing. And even that was so very significant right now. Every so often, her body would shift as she gasped or exhaled airily, and these unexpected small movements only deepened his state of bliss.

He knew it wouldn't be much longer until the dam broke. He wished it didn't have to end. He decided to slow down in hopes of prolonging this ecstasy. However, he couldn't see what he was doing anymore, so this change to his rhythm caused him to lose track of where he was. He moved too far and accidentally slipped out of her.

Naruto looked down at the space where him and Sakura had been connected. There was a few drops of a dark liquid staining the sheets. Some of it painted him as well. It was too dark to be from her arousal. He blinked a few times. He realized it was blood. His heart sank and his eyes widened in shock as he stared at the red stains.

He had done the last thing he ever wanted to do. He had gotten so intoxicated by her that he lost himself and forgot about her. He couldn't believe he had let himself become so affected. She hadn't said anything, but her pain must have been obvious if she was bleeding. But he had been at first too embarrassed and later too transfixed to look her in the eyes. So he had treated her, the one person who cared about him more than anyone else, like an object. He had betrayed her. Merely because he had wanted the euphoria that her body could give him. He had caused her pain just so that he could enjoy the feeling of being inside of her. He had hurt her for his own desires.

He knew for a fact that Sakura would rather die than do that to him. And he was sure that she believed he felt the same way. Which he did. He didn't understand how he could have done something so horrible. He had hurt the person he adored. And it was not in anger or for personal gain. He had done so because he enjoyed the feel of her flesh. The blonde couldn't think of a more disgusting betrayal. He wondered what she must think of him. He remembered the nervous smile she had given him. She had always trusted him to keep her safe and protect her. She hadn't expected this to be any different. So she had smiled at him to show her encouragement and trust. And he had abused that trust in the worst possible way.

He had turned his love for her into something selfish and twisted. He thought about how good he had felt while he was hurting her. He realized that her blood would have acted as a lubricant. Her suffering had made it feel even better. He felt sick to his stomach. He remembered the satisfaction he had felt at hearing her loud cries. He felt like he was going to throw up. He was profoundly ashamed. He knew that Sakura would be so hurt and saddened by this. She thought that he was such an incredible person. She must have been waiting for him to come to his senses. She believed in him more than anyone else. He wasn't looking forward to the confusion and pain he would see on her face.

Naruto finally looked up at her with a horrified expression.

She was smiling at him. Her eyes were a little watery, but she was wearing that familiar warm smile that he loved to see. Ever since she had accepted him, he had always melted before that smile.

"S-Saku..." he stammered.

The pinkette quickly put a finger to his lips.

"Shh... It's okay."

With her remaining hand, she reached down to where they had become one. A faint glow could be seen. She moved her other hand to grip his shoulder and used her strength to gently pull him up to meet her face to face. Her expression changed to one of great worry as she saw his terrified eyes up close. She had never seen Naruto so scared before. He was actually trembling.

She kissed him tenderly until the glow disappeared. Then she pulled him into a close embrace, gently massaging his head as she held him tightly to her chest.

"I'm fine. I told you, you won't hurt me with this. Please don't be afraid. You could never do anything wrong to me, my dear, sweet Naruto. I love you," Sakura whispered.

When he had stopped trembling, she met him face to face again and carefully inspected his features. He was still a bit wide-eyed. She began planting quick kisses on and around his lips, examining him after each as if he were a patient. When she saw that he had calmed down, she slowly laid him back down onto the pillow. She watched him with concern and spoke up again.

"Hey, let's keep going. I was starting to feel good, too. You didn't have to stop."

Naruto hesitantly nodded. She smiled reassuringly before reaching down and taking hold of him again. His arousal had faltered some, but he responded quickly to the gentle way she held him. She was soon able to lower herself on top of him again, and much more deeply than she had the first time. She moaned softly, involuntarily closing her eyes. When she opened them, she met his icy blue orbs. They both started to move at the same time. There was no more talking.

/

They lay side by side with the bedsheet draped haphazardly over them. They were both very relaxed, zoning out as they gazed at the ceiling. Sunlight was pouring in through the window.

"So... Is everything okay, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

There was a small smile on Sakura's face.

"Yeah. Everything's fine," she said.

The blonde turned his head to look at her with a tentative expression on his face.

"Was I okay?"

Sakura turned to meet his eyes, still smiling softly.

"You did just fine, Naruto. Don't worry. It was nice."

Her expression grew curious.

"But I was wondering about something. When we started, I was surprised that you were so interested in that part of my anatomy. I never thought I had much to offer there compared to Ino. To say nothing of someone like Hinata..." Sakura mused.

Naruto looked at her seriously.

"Well... I think you do. You don't understand how beautiful you are, Sakura-chan. Ino and Hinata don't have what you have. No one does."

The pinkette raised an eyebrow.

"You really think so?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah... It was also the look in your eyes. You were looking at me the same way as you did when you asked me if I wanted to run away with you. Because you were looming over me, and because you were... Well, it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. You looked like a goddess trying to breathe life into one of her creations."

Sakura gave him a blank stare, blinking a few times.

"Wow, Naruto. I've never known you to be so poetic. I'm no goddess. I'm just Sakura-chan."

He shook his head.

"No... That wasn't Sakura-chan. You really did have such an unearthly beauty then that it looked like a different person. She looked a lot like you, but I wasn't completely sure that it was. And I had been so emotional. So I thought that it was a goddess... And her name was Sakura... And she wanted me... So I felt like crying for a completely different reason."

Sakura grinned.

"You seem quite taken with this Sakura. Do I have anything to worry about?"

Naruto laughed.

"Haha... No you don't, Sakura-chan. But I'd like to see her again."

He regarded her with a concerned look.

"Hey... What happened, when you were bleeding? I was really scared. I thought I really hurt you," Naruto said.

Sakura sighed softly.

"You didn't... Girls have a... Well, it's not really important. Basically, it happened because I've never done that before. Naturally, you're the only one I've ever been with. And that happens the first time."

Naruto looked down in thought.

"Oh... I was so worried... So it wasn't bad...?"

Her expression softened a little.

"No. It did hurt a little, but it wasn't that bad. I'm sorry that I scared you. I should have said something about it."

He looked up to meet her eyes.

"But if it hurt, how come you were smiling?"

She smiled similarly to how she had before. His eyes softened at the sight.

"Well, it felt good at the same time. But I saw how relaxed you were. I'd never seen you look like that before. And I knew that you were like that because of me. That made me feel really happy. It would have had to hurt a lot more than it did to get me to stop smiling."

Naruto finally smiled as well.

"I see... I don't know how I would feel about it if anyone else had gotten to do that with you. It really was absolutely amazing. I can't wait to do it again."

Sakura chuckled.

"Haha. Yeah, I could tell you didn't exactly keep your cool."

Naruto blushed at the memory. After a few moments, something occurred to him and he looked at her thoughtfully.

"Man... I feel like if Sasuke had known how amazing it was to be with you, and I'm not talking just about this, he would never have done all the crap he did. He would have stopped caring about his damn revenge. It would be impossible for me to care about something like that if you were there, Sakura-chan."

She looked away pensively.

"To be honest, I never thought about what it would be like to do that with him."

He moved his head a little closer to her.

"Really? Didn't you love him, though?"

Sakura looked back at him and sighed deeply.

"I'm not sure anymore that I did. I thought I did. But I really wanted him to acknowledge me. To look at me. At most, I would have wanted him to kiss me. But the one time I thought he was going to kiss me was actually you..."

She playfully punched Naruto in the arm. He smiled sheepishly. Then the pinkette gave him a bright smile.

"With you, it's completely different. I love spending time with you. I feel like nothing can hurt me if you're around. And you always make me feel special. So I adore you so much. I feel like I want to give you everything, and I don't need to get anything from you in return. You don't have to lift a finger for me. I'd do this with you, and I'd do a million other things, just to see you smile. All I would ever ask of you is that you do your best. As long as you love me, and you're happy... I'm happy," Sakura explained.

Naruto grinned.

"I always wanted you to be happy too, Sakura-chan. And knowing that you love me makes me happier than anything. I guess I feel the exact same way."

Sakura smirked.

"So... Did I make you happy, Naruto?"

He nodded.

"Of course. I thought that was obvious."

The pinkette laughed.

"Haha. It was."

Naruto laughed as well. After a moment, his eyes widened.

"... Hey, I just thought of something. Shouldn't we have used something so that you wouldn't get pregnant? I'm not saying that I don't-"

Sakura interrupted him, a casual smile on her face.

"You don't have to worry about it, Naruto. Tsunade-shishou gave me a jutsu. That was what I talked to her about on that one night I came to your apartment."

He stared at her blankly.

"Oh... Wow... You're always taking care of me, Sakura-chan. I'm always such a fool, and you're always the responsible one that saves me from screwing up."

Sakura chuckled.

"Haha. You're not that much of a fool. You're just really passionate. And I'm glad that you are. That's what I love about you."

She leaned forward and pecked him on the lips. Naruto gazed at her in admiration as she lay her head back on the pillow.

The sun had reached its apex, fully lighting the room. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day.


	9. Calm Before the Storm

After some time, Sakura sat up in the bed and stretched. She looked over at Naruto. He was still gazing at her tenderly.

"Hey, Naruto," she said.

He smiled softly at her.

"What's up, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

Sakura smiled as well.

"I'm gonna go take a shower now. I do have to work today, but they don't expect me until the afternoon since we had a mission."

Naruto nodded.

"Sure, Sakura-chan. Make yourself at home."

The pinkette slowly got out of bed. Naruto blushed lightly at the sight of her nude form in the sunlight. He politely looked away as she picked up her clothes. Sakura glanced over at him and grinned at his shy behavior before walking into the bathroom.

"I'll be right back," Sakura said as she was closing the door.

"Okay."

As Naruto heard the sound of running water, he smiled to himself. He didn't think his life had ever been any better.

/

Sakura's parents were sitting at the table in their dining room eating a simple breakfast, still dressed in their nightclothes. Kizashi set down his utensils and looked over at his wife.

"I checked her room, and it looks like Sakura didn't return from her mission last night. What do you think happened?" he asked.

Mebuki pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"I'm sure nothing happened. It wasn't a dangerous mission. She probably wanted to spend more time with Naruto-kun," she replied.

Kizashi frowned.

"I like the boy, but don't you think they're getting too close?"

The pink-haired woman looked at him with seriousness.

"You need to try to understand. Sakura is just like me. When she loves someone, she doesn't go about it half-heartedly. She puts everything she has into being there for that person. Don't worry about it. Naruto-kun thinks the world of her. I know she'll never be hurt by him."

Kizashi sighed.

"I know that. They've always been teammates. But I still don't like it."

Mebuki frowned.

"Well, you'll have to get used to it. You'd better not give Sakura a hard time when she returns. It'll just upset her."

Kizashi nodded reluctantly.

/

When Sakura had finished in the bathroom, she dressed and came out to see that Naruto had fallen asleep again. She smiled seeing that he looked even more peaceful than he usually did. She decided not to wake him. The pinkette walked into the kitchen. She was a bit hungry. She looked through the cabinets at all the various colorful ramen packages. She frowned. She really didn't feel like eating ramen yet again.

She finally noticed an unopened box of pancake mix sitting in a corner. Clearly it had been there for some time. She highly doubted Naruto had syrup, but she decided to make them anyway. She put water in one of the larger ramen bowls and added about half the box to it. She then put a saucepan on the stove and turned the fire on. She stirred the mix while she waited for the pan to heat. She checked the refrigerator. He had butter, at least.

Some time later, Naruto opened his eyes. There was a sweet smell wafting into the room. He got up and put on his pajama bottoms and a shirt before entering the kitchen.

His eyes widened to see Sakura standing next to a tray of pancakes that were fairly large, buttered, and stacked about half a foot high. She heard him enter and turned the stove off before turning to look at him with a casual smile.

"Oh, Naruto! I was about to wake you. I was hungry, so I decided to make these. Sorry, I really didn't feel like ramen..." Sakura said.

The blonde was still gazing at her with wide eyes. Gears were turning inside his head. She looked at him quizzically.

"... Naruto?" she prodded.

Naruto blinked a few times before finally smiling.

"Sakura-chan... You're so amazing."

Her expression grew more confused.

"Naruto, pancakes are pretty easy to make. Did you ever try reading the box? That's what I did."

Naruto shook his head.

"No... I could never be as amazing as you, Sakura-chan. You're so great at everything. You don't have to be modest."

Sakura laughed at the absurdity of the situation. If it were anyone other than Naruto, she would be sure that she was being made fun of.

"Haha. Okay, whatever. How many do you want?"

Naruto grinned.

"Just take however many you want. I'll have the rest."

The pinkette nodded.

"Okay."

She got another smaller plate and put a few of the pancakes on it. She was about to take out another plate until Naruto spoke.

"No, that's alright. I'll just take the tray."

Sakura chuckled sensibly.

"Haha. That's just like you, Naruto."

They both sat down at the table and started eating in a comfortable silence. Sakura finished what was on her plate in a few minutes. She looked up at Naruto. She frowned to see that he'd only eaten about half of them. He couldn't have been eating at his usual ravenous pace.

"Doesn't it taste okay, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Naruto looked up at her.

"Yeah, it tastes great. They're really good."

She cocked her head at him.

"It's just that you usually eat much faster than this."

The blonde blushed lightly. He looked down at the half-finished tray.

"Well... It's just that I don't want this to end. Everything is so wonderful with you, Sakura-chan. I don't want to rush through any of it... Especially not something that you made... I'm sorry if it seems like I'm being silly."

Sakura's eyes widened. She blushed as well.

"Oh, Naruto... I wouldn't want it any other way."

They both smiled. They talked casually as he finished eating. When he had finished, Sakura spoke up.

"Hey, soon I'm gonna need to go back home so that I can change into my work clothes," she explained.

Naruto nodded and stood up.

"Okay. I'll get changed so that I can walk you there."

Sakura looked at him with concern.

"You really don't have to, Naruto."

The blonde grinned.

"But I want to. I just love spending time with you, Sakura-chan. I can't help it. If you want me to stop, you'll have to tell me to go away."

Sakura grinned back at him.

"I could never do that, though. So I guess we're stuck. You should hurry up."

Naruto nodded.

"Okay. Be right back."

He rushed off to get changed. Sakura sighed nostalgically. Some things would always stay the same.

/

The couple were walking together to Sakura's parents' home. Sakura turned to look at Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto, I'm concerned about something," she said.

He looked at her with interest.

"What's that, Sakura-chan?"

The pinkette regarded him seriously.

"I'm happy about what we did... Really, I am. But I'd prefer it if no one else knew about it for a while. My parents really like you, but they might not understand. I mean, my mom probably wouldn't care, but I don't think my dad would be happy about it. So don't tell anyone that we're lovers now, Naruto."

Naruto nodded.

"I would never tell anyone. That would be really disrespectful towards you, Sakura-chan. I could never do that."

Sakura smiled.

"Okay. Thanks, Naruto."

Her eyes widened after a moment.

"Oh, crap. We forgot to report back to Kakashi-sensei," she said.

"Well, do you want to go do that now?"

Sakura nodded.

"Yeah, let's go. It would probably be best if I'm still wearing my kunoichi gear when we report."

They went to the Hokage Tower at a quick pace.

/

When they arrived, Shizune had been expecting them for some time, so she quickly let them enter. Kakashi put his book down and looked up at them as they entered. The pair greeted him and Sakura stepped forward. She handed over the official mission report. Kakashi put the Hokage hat on as he started to read it. After a few moments, he frowned.

"Sakura, I'm very disappointed. I won't be docking your pay, but you should know that you just cost Naruto a promotion. I am certain that had you gone into detail as you were supposed to, I would have found his conduct exemplary enough to merit one. But since you didn't put it in the report, I can't justify it. I sincerely apologize, Naruto," the white-haired man explained.

Sakura's eye was twitching. She didn't understand how Kakashi could possibly have known. Surely it couldn't have been a lucky guess.

"What the hell... Have you been spying on us, Sensei? How could you have known?" she asked.

He looked up from the paper and smirked invisibly at her.

"I didn't... Until now, when you just told me. Maybe Naruto will be getting that promotion after all."

Sakura glared at him with a furious blush on her face. Naruto's face wasn't much better off.

"Naruto... We're leaving now."

She grabbed the blonde's arm and started to drag him out. He offered no resistance. Kakashi made a small note on the mission paper before returning to his book.

/

Naruto followed Sakura as she walked to her house in a huff.

"Well, so much for no one finding out," she said.

Naruto smiled nervously at her.

"Kakashi-sensei wouldn't tell anyone. He's just a pervert. He wanted to know for that reason. Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan."

The pinkette looked back at him and seeing his nervous smile, she found it hard to stay angry. She let out a long sigh.

"I guess you're right. But you're not the one who would look bad, Naruto, I would. People might think I'm a... loose woman, or something. They'd think that I did it so that you would stay with me. Especially considering the whole thing with Hinata. I just really didn't want anyone to know."

Naruto looked a little distressed at this.

"So... Do you regret it, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura shook her head.

"No. I could never... When it comes to you, I'll never regret anything. I refuse to apologize for anything that I do for you. Because it's you, Naruto. You should understand how I feel by now."

Naruto smiled softly.

"Yeah... I do."

/

Eventually, they had made it to the home of Sakura's parents. As they were standing outside, the pinkette suddenly embraced Naruto.

"I really love you, Naruto. I can't tell you how much. Please don't ever leave me. I don't know what I'd do without you," Sakura said shakily.

Naruto was frowning lightly when they pulled apart.

"Sakura-chan, you know I feel the same way about you. So I don't like seeing you act so vulnerable. You're too amazing for that," he said.

She smiled weakly at him.

"I know you do. I guess I'm just being paranoid. I'll see you later, Naruto."

He smiled back.

"Okay. I love you, Sakura-chan."

They waved at each other as Sakura entered her home. When she closed the door, he finally walked off, a wistful look on his face.

/

Sakura explained to her parents that she had been staying with Naruto. Neither of them questioned her about it, which was something she found strange. She quickly went up to her room and changed into her hospital garb. Then she headed to work. They still weren't expecting her for a half hour or so, but she figured she may as well make sure that everything was going smoothly without her. Her position at the hospital was actually quite an important one. She had been the most talented medical ninja there ever since Tsunade stopped attending.

She rounded a corner and bumped into someone.

"Oh, pardon me," Sakura said softly.

The pinkette looked up and saw that it was Kiba. His eyes were as wide as saucers.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he said.

Sakura was reminded of a conversation she had with him upon returning to Konoha with Naruto.

 _"You've gotta be kidding me."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _The dog ninja was glaring at Sakura angrily._

 _"I mean, how could you do this? You've had years... YEARS, to be with that idiot Naruto. He's always been wrapped around your little finger. But you never wanted to be with him. Yet now, when Hinata finally got him to look at her, something she's been trying to do for her whole life, you want to be with him? What the hell is your problem? Are you just a bitch?"_

 _Sakura flinched. She looked at him seriously._

 _"Listen, I'm sorry if Hinata was hurt. And I can't do anything about the past. But I love Naruto, and I want to be with him. It might not be fair to Hinata. In fact, I'm sure that it isn't. But I can't help the fact that I love him. And he loves me. I'm sorry if she can't accept that. But I don't see what business it is of yours."_

 _Kiba turned his head dismissively and spat on the ground. Akamaru jumped away from the spittle. The Inuzuka looked back at the pinkette derisively._

 _"So, the answer is that you're just a bitch?"_

 _She scowled._

 _"Get away from me, Kiba."_

 _"Gladly. I don't want anything to do with someone like you. I hope Naruto comes to his senses."_

 _With that, Kiba stomped off. The pinkette sighed tiredly._

Sakura tilted her head at Kiba's shocked expression.

"... What do you mean?"

Kiba narrowed his eyes at her.

"You know exactly what I mean. Don't act innocent. You've only been with him for what, three weeks at most? Sasuke isn't going to want you if he knows where Naruto has been. You don't understand male rivalry if you expect him to even look twice at you anymore."

The pinkette found herself scowling much like she had in their first encounter.

"Well, it's still no business of yours. And how on earth did you know? I took a shower."

Kiba shook his head.

"You can't fool the nose of an Inuzuka. If anything, that just made it easier to detect. His scent is only mixed with one particular scent of yours. It couldn't be any more obvious."

She gaped at him.

"You mean... You can smell... Wow, that's disgusting, Kiba. If you're smart, you'll never tell Hinata what you just told me."

The dog ninja frowned.

"Well, I know one thing that I'm going to be telling Hinata. She still has hope that Naruto will come around. It's obvious that he won't. You've got him eating out of your hand."

Sakura sighed.

"Fine, tell Hinata. Just don't tell anyone else. I have enough problems as it is."

Kiba frowned more deeply.

"Why should I do you any favors?"

Sakura glared at him.

"It's not a favor, it's common courtesy. If you do, I'll make sure you regret it. I'll tell Naruto, who will tell Hinata, and then she'll know what a dipshit you are."

Kiba rolled his eyes before giving her a cold stare.

"This is great. I'm being blackmailed by the girl who is having sex with the guy Hinata loves. She's going to take advantage of the way Hinata feels about him to hurt me. Even though she's hurting Hinata more than anyone else ever has. Even though she's fucking the guy Hinata loves, she's going to make me the bad guy in the eyes of Hinata!"

His voice got louder as he went on. Sakura looked around nervously.

"Would you keep your voice down?"

Kiba lowered his voice and spoke more quietly, but with even more irritation.

"Sure, 'Sakura-chan.' I have to leave anyway. Have fun with everything else."

He stormed off. Sakura stared after him for a moment before hurrying to get to her workplace.

/

After the pinkette had arrived at the hospital, she only got the chance to work for about an hour before it was already time for lunch. She wasn't very hungry. Everything had been going wrong since she had left Naruto's apartment. She filled a tray and sat down at a table anyway, picking at her food. A few minutes later, Ino came in and waved at her. Sakura nodded back. The blonde woman sat down across from her.

"Hey there, Forehead. I missed you when you were on your mission. How was it?" Ino asked.

Sakura sighed.

"The mission was fine, Ino-pig. It was wonderful, actually. I showed Naruto how much I cared about him," she replied morosely.

Ino looked at her confusedly.

"If that's the case, why do you seem so stressed out?"

Sakura gave the blonde a somber look.

"Because, after we got home, I showed him how much I cared about him again... In a different way. And now things are getting complicated."

Ino's eyes widened.

"Wow, really? I guess I knew it was going to happen because of the jutsu and all, but I didn't think it would be this soon. You actually beat me. I thought for sure I would have been the one... You're really something, Forehead."

Sakura nodded.

"I mean, I don't regret it. Not at all. But it feels like there are going to be problems now."

Ino tilted her head at her.

"You mean, with Naruto? Wasn't he happy with it?"

Sakura sighed.

"Not with him. Naruto could never be a problem for me. It's everyone else. Everyone seems to care so much about my being with him. And for some reason, something like this is impossible to keep a secret."

Ino frowned.

"You mean... Kiba and Hinata, then?"

Sakura frowned as well.

"Yeah, I already talked to Kiba. I'm sure I'm going to end up talking to Hinata. And my parents will definitely find out. They always do. And no one understands. Hardly anyone understands how strongly I feel about Naruto."

The blonde watched her with sympathy.

"Well, they'll have to get over it, Forehead. Naruto loves you and you love him. No one can take that away from you. Not Hinata, not your parents, and certainly not Kiba."

Sakura crossed her arms on the table and rested her head on them.

"It's fine whenever I'm with Naruto. It's great, even. I couldn't be happier. But the second he's gone, everything starts to fall to pieces."

Ino smirked.

"Well, why don't you move in with him, then?"

The pinkette chuckled.

"Haha. My parents would react even worse to that than they will to this. I'd rather not give my dad a heart attack."

Ino shook her head.

"No, I'm serious, Forehead. You need Naruto. He's like your teddy bear, or something. You are a giant ball of stress without him."

Sakura sighed.

"Well, you're right. I don't know how I even survived before. I really can't live without him, Ino."

Ino watched her seriously.

"Give it some thought, Forehead. I really think that it would be for the best. It would make Naruto happy too, right?"

Sakura smiled softly.

"Yeah, he would be ecstatic."

Ino continued to observe the subdued pinkette.

"So why not, then? I just don't see why you shouldn't."

Sakura gave her a blank look.

"I guess I'll think about it. Thanks, Ino-pig."

Ino grinned.

"Anytime. That's what I'm here for, Forehead. You'd better be there when I'm the one who needs the advice."

Sakura laughed.

"Haha. Of course. You can count on me."


	10. Inevitable Conversation

Kiba was walking to the Hyuga estate. What he had discovered about Sakura didn't make him feel any better about this whole situation. He had no doubt that it must have made Naruto really happy, and the blonde's happiness felt like a knife in the gut.

Because Kiba loved Hinata. But always, always she had loved that spiky-haired idiot. No matter how much of a loser he was. And then that idiot became known throughout the ninja world as an amazing shinobi. As one of the greatest heroes that there had ever been. He didn't expect that to make Hinata love him any less. And indeed, it didn't.

He wasn't surprised at all when they had gotten together. Naruto might be an idiot, but he wasn't dumb enough to keep chasing after Sakura hopelessly when he could be happy with someone like Hinata. That was what the dog ninja thought, anyway. But he had been wrong about that. Apparently, Sakura had had some type of epiphany. She decided one day that she wanted Naruto. And Naruto had been happy to dump Hinata for her. He'd thrown Hinata away like she was nothing but garbage to him, when Kiba would have given anything to be in Naruto's position. He would have done anything for Hinata to feel that way about him instead.

Kiba didn't understand what the idiot saw in Sakura. He knew she was smart and a good ninja, especially for a civilian. But Hinata was the heiress of the Leaf's most prestigious clan, and despite her highborn status, she was very kind and gentle. And he thought she was prettier than both Sakura and Ino put together, not to mention she had the nicest body. Obviously, Naruto didn't agree with him.

He just didn't get it. Not only did Naruto pick Sakura over her, it wasn't even a choice for him. Kiba had to watch as Naruto casually tossed her aside. Then he had to watch as Naruto was blissfully happy with Sakura. He didn't really know how the pinkette felt about Sasuke. He only knew that he was sick of seeing Naruto's smiling face. That had been the reason why he brought it up in the first place. But it hadn't accomplished much. Kiba could no more destroy Naruto's happiness than he could make Hinata love him. The blonde kept grinning as always.

When he had finally gotten the chance to speak with Hinata about Naruto, his misery had only deepened. Because it was obvious that Hinata still loved Naruto. So Hinata would still do anything for Naruto, even though he wouldn't even stay with her. Her love for the blonde ninja was unconditional, while her love for the dog ninja was nonexistent. So Kiba didn't know what to do with himself. This had been going on for a while. The frustration would just build and build until he had a chance to lash out at either Sakura or the blonde idiot. He was well aware that he was making an ass of himself, but he couldn't help it. Even though all it did was make him feel worse, like it had today.

Kiba couldn't believe that pink bitch had gone so far as to threaten to use Hinata's feelings for Naruto against him. That had burned him more than anything. He hated her with a passion now. He hated everyone who was responsible for this. He hated Naruto for being so happy because of a decision that hurt Hinata. He hated Sakura because she was the one who made Naruto so happy. And a small part of him even hated Hinata for continuing to love Naruto.

The situation just kept getting more ridiculous. Sakura now loved Naruto enough to want to sleep with him, but Hinata still loved him just as much as she always had. Kiba didn't understand why Hinata had to keep feeling that way about this idiot when he had Sakura. He couldn't believe that he lived in a world where Hinata would continue to love Naruto after he left her in an instant for Sakura. He knew how much that had hurt Hinata. She hadn't left the Hyuga estate for days. But that hadn't affected Naruto. He had been happier than ever. That had made Kiba furious enough, but it got worse after the argument in the BBQ restaurant. Naruto heard about what had been said about Sakura and became distressed. And Hinata was the one to help him with that. She told Kiba to keep his mouth shut because it was upsetting Naruto. She still cared more about Naruto than him, even after everything that had happened.

That had twisted the knife. Kiba didn't know how much more of this he could take. He only knew he had to tell Hinata what he had learned in hopes that this information would have at least some effect on the way she felt about Naruto. If there was an opportunity to dislodge him from her heart even the tiniest bit, Kiba was going to take it.

He approached the imposing gate guard.

"I'm here to see Hinata. Is she available?" he asked.

The guard wasn't surprised at the request. Kiba had been here a number of times.

"Hinata-sama is training with her father right now, Inuzuka-san. She is not to be disturbed unless it is urgent. Is it?" the man asked.

Kiba frowned lightly.

"No, I guess it isn't. When will she be finished?"

"Likely in a half hour. If you wish to wait, you may do so in the courtyard, since you are Hinata-sama's teammate."

Kiba nodded.

"Okay, I will. Thank you."

He entered the estate and sat down on one of the benches outside. There were a few Hyuga milling about in white robes. Akamaru ran up to a tree and sniffed it.

Kiba thought about how Naruto must have felt after doing that with Sakura. His stupid grin probably stretched from ear to ear. Kiba wanted to knock out a few of those white teeth. His only consolation, and it was a very small one, was that he was fairly sure that Naruto had never done that with Hinata. It didn't make him feel much better, though. He knew Hinata would probably have done that with Naruto if the blonde had really wanted to. So the idiot was just lucky that he was too stupid or too noble to take advantage of Hinata like that. If he had, Kiba would have lost his mind by now. He would have tried to kill Naruto and failed, and then Hinata would have hated him forever for trying to hurt the blonde.

The Inuzuka knew that even after Hinata found out about what that pink slut had done with Naruto, she would still pick that grinning moron over him. As he continued to brood, that certainty was what haunted him more than anything else.

/

Rock Lee had spoken with his master Gai about the troubling emotion. Gai declared to him that he knew this emotion well. He had felt it before. It was one of the most unyouthful of feelings. He told Lee that he must do his best to purge that emotion from his heart for the sake of his youth. But when Lee asked him to explain what it was, Gai said he could not. Lee would learn nothing if Gai spelled it out for him. It was a journey that Lee had to make on his own. His youth would benefit greatly for the effort.

Hearing this, Lee was revitalized. He found himself training fiercely in the company of Tenten. His energy seemed boundless today. He wouldn't rest until he understood what that feeling was.

As he was deep in contemplation, the green ninja was laying kicks and punches on training dummies that he had strategically placed as far apart as possible. He was covered in sweat as he leapt between each of them at a furious pace. He hadn't taken a break for at least an hour.

Tenten was watching him with very wide eyes. This kind of thing was nothing new from Lee, but he seemed to be taking it to another level today. Something had clearly lit a fire under him.

"Hey, Lee? Could you stop for a second?" she asked.

Lee sprung in front of her and stood as tall as he could.

"Very well, Tenten! I feel a burning desire to continue, but it would be most unyouthful to deny your request," he loudly proclaimed.

Tenten grinned at him.

"Well, thanks. It seems like you're really driven today. I'm just wondering what happened. What's gotten into you?"

Lee's pupils were obscured by flame.

"It is very simple! On that day when Naruto came to our training field, I felt a strange emotion that caused me to say something that was untrue. Gai-sensei has instructed me that I must discover what that feeling is on my own. I cannot truly grow as a ninja if I do not!"

Tenten frowned slightly.

"You mean... You actually knew that Sakura was very happy to be with Naruto, but you said that anyway? That's horrible, Lee. You need to apologize. Why would you do something like that? Were you just jealous?"

Lee stared blankly at her. The fire in his eyes was exhausted.

"Jealous...?"

Tenten raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Because you always liked Sakura, you envy Naruto now that he's with her?"

After a moment, Lee fell to his hands and knees, crying liberally.

"No! This cannot be! I have been denied an opportunity for youthful growth and discovery! Why, Tenten?! Why?!"

Tenten sighed.

"Come on, Lee. It was obvious."

Lee only continued to sob.

/

Kiba was dying of boredom. He was sure that it had been at least forty-five minutes. He had been walking around restlessly. He finally decided to go sit back down.

Just as he took a seat on the bench, he saw Hinata emerge from behind a wall. She approached him with a small smile. The dog ninja's face was the picture of relief upon seeing her.

"Hi, Kiba. I was told you were here. I'm sorry if you've been waiting long," the blue-haired girl said, reaching down and petting Akamaru.

The Inuzuka grinned.

"It's fine, Hinata. I haven't been here that long. Don't worry about it," he replied.

Hinata smiled a little wider.

"I'm glad to hear that. So what did you need from me?"

Kiba's features grew somber.

"Well, I have something to tell you. And you probably aren't going to like it, but you have a right to know."

Her eyes widened a little as her smile faded.

"What is it, Kiba? Just tell me."

He sighed.

"Well... Naruto and Sakura... I'm pretty sure that they slept together."

The bluenette's eyes widened a lot more.

"But... How do you know that? Naruto-kun would never brag about something like that."

Kiba frowned. He hated how Hinata never missed an opportunity to say something nice about that blonde bastard.

"I smelled it, Hinata. Things like that are unmistakable to my nose. There wasn't any doubt. Trust me."

Hinata only stared at him blankly. There was an uncomfortable silence.

"... So, now you know... Naruto probably isn't going to come around," Kiba continued awkwardly.

Her right eye twitched a little.

"Kiba... Why?" Hinata asked softly, her voice cracking.

The Inuzuka cocked his head to one side.

"What do you mean, why? I don't know. I guess Sakura really does love him."

Hinata's white eyes had grown watery. She spoke in a shaky voice.

"No... Why did you have to tell me that...? Naruto-kun..."

She blinked a few times before fixing Kiba with a harsh glare. His eyes widened.

"Why, Kiba...?! Why would you tell me that?! I didn't need to know! I didn't want to know that, Kiba!" Hinata shouted.

He gaped at the volume she was using. Surely everyone else in the courtyard had heard.

"Hinata, I'm sorry... Please calm down."

She shook her head, her stare still burning through Kiba.

"No. There's something that I need to do. I've been putting it off for far too long. I trust that you can see yourself out?"

He nodded numbly.

"Then goodbye, Kiba," Hinata stated firmly.

She walked with great resolve towards the exit, leaving Kiba standing where he was. He didn't move from that spot for some time.

Kiba had known she would be upset, but he never thought it would be like this. He was unsure if telling her had been the right course of action. He never imagined Hinata would look at him like that. That had not been pleasant. He didn't know how to rid himself of this sinking feeling.

/

Naruto had returned to the Hokage office to resume his work there. He was reading his study materials while Kakashi read his usual book. They had been doing so for hours until Kakashi glanced over at Naruto and spoke in a low volume. The doors were open and he didn't want Shizune to overhear.

"So, Naruto... How was it?" he asked.

Naruto looked up at him questioningly.

"How was what, Kakashi-sensei?" he replied.

Kakashi gave him an imploring look.

"You know what. How was Sakura? Was she shy? Or was she one of the aggressive ones?"

Naruto glared at him.

"I'm not telling you that. That would be so disrespectful towards Sakura-chan. I would never talk about something like that with anyone else."

Kakashi frowned.

"Come on, Naruto. I've read this book at least a thousand times. What if I make it worth your while? You must be sick of being a Genin by now."

Naruto shook his head.

"No... I could never betray the trust that Sakura-chan has in me. It doesn't matter if you offer to make me the Hokage. I would be a Genin forever before I would do something to hurt Sakura-chan. Forget about it, Kakashi-sensei."

The Rokudaime leaned in a little closer.

"But, Naruto... She would never know."

Naruto glanced down for a moment.

"I would know. And in a lot of ways, that's worse."

Just as Kakashi was about to say something else, a female voice rang out from the vicinity of the open doors.

"Hokage-sama! What are you trying to do to Naruto-kun? He isn't a pervert like you, so leave him alone!" Shizune hollered.

Kakashi didn't respond, merely giving Naruto a look of disappointment before going back to his own reading.

Naruto smiled to himself. He would always protect Sakura's happiness like she had protected his.

/

Sakura had finally gotten off work. Her job at the hospital had actually relaxed her a little. There was no drama and she was able to keep busy. But she missed Naruto already.

She walked through the doors and down the foggy road. It was quiet and there weren't many people around. In the pale light of dusk, she was able to make out a figure standing in the middle of the path. The pinkette walked faster to see who it was.

The figure had long blue hair and wore baggy clothes. It was Hinata. The white-eyed girl was gazing at her with a resigned expression. She had probably seen Sakura with her dojutsu long before the pinkette had even noticed her silhouette.

Though Sakura had expected this, she was still worried. She gave her a nervous smile as she approached, but Hinata remained stone-faced.

"Sakura-san... Will you walk with me?" Hinata asked.

Sakura nodded.

"Sure..." she replied.

They began to walk side by side, both looking straight ahead. Neither said a word for some time. Finally, Hinata spoke up quietly.

"... I used to hate you."

Sakura's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything.

"I hated you so much... I would have given anything to have Naruto-kun treat me the way he treated you. To have him look at me the way he looked at you. If he had ever called me Hinata-chan, I think I would have died of happiness. But he never did. Not even once. All of that love and devotion was for you. Only for you. But you didn't even seem to care. It was like it meant nothing to you," Hinata said bitterly.

The pinkette's head snapped towards Hinata.

"It meant everything to me! He was always very important to me. You don't know-"

Hinata quickly interjected without turning to look at Sakura.

"I realize that now. But that was how it seemed. So I never liked you, Sakura-san. Then the war ended. When I began to spend time with Naruto-kun, I knew he still felt the same way about you. But I didn't care, because I was happy to be with him anyway."

She looked down at the ground sadly. Sakura continued to observe her as they walked.

"I hoped that you would love Sasuke-san forever. I wanted to be the one to make him feel better about it. And for a short while, that looked like it was going to be what happened. But then you and Naruto-kun decided to go on that strange mission. I was able to speak with him before he left. I asked whose idea it was, and he said it was his," Hinata explained.

Hinata finally looked at Sakura.

"When I heard that it was his idea and not yours, I knew it was over. I hoped I was wrong, but I knew I wasn't. There was no way that he would have been the one to engineer a meeting between yourself and Sasuke-san under normal circumstances. It would have hurt him. Even hearing your name hurt him."

Sakura's expression softened. Hinata looked away again.

"And each time the thought of you hurt him, I hated you even more... And now, even though I've never hurt him, and you've hurt him so many times, I've lost. You've won... I've lost completely... And I feel like I never even had a chance."

The pinkette's eyes widened.

"Hinata, I'm sorry. I really am. It wasn't fair to you... Naruto and I should've-" she replied.

Hinata limply raised a hand to interrupt.

"Don't bother... It doesn't matter. But I want you to know one thing, Sakura-san."

Sakura raised an eyebrow curiously. The blue-haired girl turned her head to regard her once more.

"I can tell that you do love Naruto-kun... Finally... So I'm going to try to move on. But I've come to understand that a big part of me will always love him... So if you do end up hurting him anyway... If you take him for granted and abuse his heart carelessly..." Hinata continued in an icy tone.

Her white-eyed gaze grew more claustrophobic.

"The first thing I'll do is try to make him feel better about it... But after that, I'll use every resource available to me to make your life a living hell. You will never be happy in Konoha again. I'll see to it that you end up having to leave this village. Do you understand?"

Sakura stared wide-eyed at Hinata for a moment before nodding.

"I do, but you don't have to worry about that. Even thinking about hurting Naruto makes me feel miserable. If I were to really hurt him, I would never be happy again anyway," Sakura replied.

Hinata smiled sadly and stopped walking.

"Good... I feel a little better knowing that. I need to return to the Hyuga estate. Farewell, Sakura-san."

Sakura also paused and gazed at her uncomfortably.

"Bye, Hinata... Good luck."

She watched as the blue-haired girl walked away. When she finally disappeared from her sight, Sakura sighed. She would feel so much better if Naruto were here. She knew this anxiety would disappear if she could just hug him. But he wasn't here, so she couldn't.

The pinkette slowly made her way back home.


	11. Charred Flower Before the Sun

When Sakura arrived at her home, it was still early in the evening. But she felt exhausted from the rollercoaster day that she had. She opened the door and walked inside. She saw her mother cooking on the stove while her father read a book at the kitchen table.

"Hi, Sakura dear. How was your day?" Mebuki asked without turning away from what she was doing.

"Work was fine... I'm going to go up to my room and take a nap," Sakura replied tiredly.

Mebuki turned her head to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Sure, dear. Dinner will be ready in a half hour or so."

The younger pinkette nodded and went up the stairs. Kizashi looked up at his wife.

"I'm worried about her. Something is definitely going on," he said.

Mebuki sighed.

"Fine, ask her about it if you want. Just remember what I said. Don't give her a hard time about Naruto-kun."

Kizashi nodded reluctantly.

Upstairs, Sakura was lying in her bed. That interaction with Kiba had bothered her more than she wanted to admit to herself. It was none of his business what she did with Naruto, and yet because of his bloodline, he was made aware of it. And he had used that knowledge to try to hurt her. This frustrated the pinkette, especially after her blunder with Kakashi. She knew that Kiba disliked her because of his feelings for Hinata. But she couldn't understand how making an enemy of her could possibly help him. The dog ninja had never really been a friend, but she prided herself on being able to get along with everyone. That was clearly not going to be possible anymore now that she was with Naruto. She was being judged based on that, and not her own merits.

Then Hinata had made her feel unworthy of Naruto all over again. Sakura had never truly resolved her feelings about the scar on his chest, and speaking with Hinata had brought those feelings back to the surface. If Naruto had chosen to stay with Hinata, the blue-haired girl wouldn't have experienced anything like this. She could love him with a clear conscience. But since he had stood by his love for Sakura, the pinkette was being savaged by her own heart. And the only one who could make her feel better about it was Naruto.

She felt like she should resent Naruto for putting her into this situation. But she knew she could never feel that way. It wasn't his fault. He had always tried to make her happy. And she hadn't always done the same for him. She could never blame him for something like this. It was a miracle that he still loved her after everything that had happened. After she made him make that promise. So she would never turn her back on him. She would always choose Naruto even if it meant alienating everyone else in Konoha.

She rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes.

/

Kiba slowly trudged through the dimly lit street with his head down. He was very depressed after talking to Hinata. He wondered how long she would be angry with him. He was curious as to what it was that she had to go do. It seemed to be rather important.

He understood why the knowledge would have hurt her. He expected it to. But he thought Hinata would have wanted to know the truth no matter how painful it was. He hadn't expected her to get angry. He hadn't expected her to look at him like that. She would never have looked at Naruto that way. It was clearly impossible for her to get angry at the blonde idiot no matter what he did to her. It was beyond frustrating to contemplate. The Inuzuka growled thinking about how many things had turned out in the worst possible way for him.

Kiba felt like he needed to talk to someone about this and get it off his chest. He decided to go find Shino. The Aburame wasn't much of a conversationalist, but he was at the very least a good listener. He headed towards the Aburame compound.

He arrived after walking for a few minutes. It was a large, nondescript building with only a single floor. Kiba knocked on the door. After a moment, a voice came from the other side.

"State your purpose," it said.

"I'm looking for Shino. Is he available?" Kiba asked.

"Wait."

Kiba played with Akamaru as he waited. About a minute later, the voice spoke again.

"He will be outside shortly," it stated matter-of-factly.

"Okay."

There was no response. Kiba took a step away from the door. Another minute passed. The door opened and Shino emerged, quickly shutting the door behind him.

"Kiba. Hello. What is it that you need?" he greeted.

Kiba frowned.

"I needed to talk to someone, and you're the only one that I trust enough."

The Aburame raised an eyebrow.

"Could you not have talked to Hinata?"

Kiba gave him a frustrated look.

"It's about Hinata."

Shino nodded.

"Oh. Of course it is. Well, let us go for a walk, then."

The bug ninja began to walk down the dark street. Kiba followed him after a moment and walked alongside him with Akamaru. There was an awkward silence for a while. Shino looked over at Kiba.

"You should be the one to speak first. Why, you ask? Because you are the one who requested this conversation."

Kiba sighed languidly. Shino was always like this.

"Okay, well... I told Hinata something that she didn't want to hear, and she got angry at me."

Shino looked down and away from Kiba in a somewhat thoughtful pose.

"I see."

Kiba narrowed his eyes at him after a moment.

"I see? That's all you're going to say?"

"You have not asked me anything."

He looked down in deep thought as well.

"Well, was I wrong to do that?"

Shino frowned invisibly.

"I cannot answer that. Why, you ask? Because you provided very little information."

The Inuzuka sighed again.

"Okay, I'll tell you. Basically, what happened was that Sakura slept with Naruto. Don't ask me how I know that for sure, but I do. And that's what I told Hinata."

Shino's eyes widened slightly behind his glasses.

"I see. Give me a moment to think about this."

Kiba only stared at him blankly. A few moments passed.

"Alright. I have finished deliberating. I have a question that I must ask you. Why, you ask? Because there is something I must know before I can determine whether or not you were wrong in this case," Shino finally said.

Kiba cocked his head at the Aburame.

"Okay, shoot."

Shino looked over at him.

"Why did you tell her?"

Kiba looked down with a frown as he thought about it. The pair turned a corner as Kiba finally spoke.

"I guess... I told her because I thought she had a right to know."

Shino's gaze stayed locked on Kiba.

"Why did she have a 'right to know'?"

He spoke the phrase with the same unconvincing intonation that Kiba had used. The dog ninja frowned more deeply.

"Because it would be unfair to her if she kept loving Naruto while he's having sex with Sakura."

Shino tilted his head to the side quizzically.

"I do not understand. Why would that be unfair to her?"

Kiba sighed in annoyance.

"Don't you have feelings, man? It feels really bad if you love someone who is with someone else. Obviously if they're sleeping together, it's much worse."

The bug ninja raised an eyebrow.

"But you stated that it would be unfair, not unpleasant. I still fail to see how the situation is unfair to Hinata. What would need to change for it to be fair for her?"

Kiba grimaced after he formulated a reply.

"I guess... It would be fair if Naruto felt the same way about her."

Shino frowned invisibly.

"Are you not saying that Hinata is entitled to Naruto's interest? Would that not be unfair to Naruto?"

Kiba shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess. I just really hate how she still loves him after everything that happened."

Shino nodded.

"I see. I believe you were not being honest with me. Clearly, you told her not because you find the situation unfair to Hinata, but because you find it unfair to you. Why, you ask? Because it is not mandatory for love to be returned."

Kiba frowned deeply.

"Well, yeah, it's unfair to me. Because I have spent so much more time with Hinata than that idiot has. I care about her more than he does. And he left her. Because he wanted to be with Sakura. And now he's fucking Sakura. But Hinata still loves him. She still cares about him more than she cares about me. If he ever got tired of Sakura, I'm sure she would still be with him if he asked her to. Hell, if he asked her to, she would probably even fu-"

The Inuzuka froze as he realized he had said too much. He gazed miserably at Shino. Shino only stared back at him. After a few moments, the bug ninja finally spoke.

"I have reached a conclusion. The answer to your question is that you were indeed wrong. Why, you ask? Because you told Hinata not out of concern for her feelings, but your own. Your motivation was in your own best interest, not that of Hinata. You saw upsetting her as a satisfactory price to pay for a chance of altering how she feels about Naruto. You acted selfishly. Why, you ask? Because whether or not Hinata should continue to love Naruto is not your determination to make."

Kiba's eyes widened. He slouched and looked away.

"Maybe... But... I really do love her."

"If you love her, then do not act in this manner. It is none of your business what Hinata would do for Naruto or if he is worthy of it or not. If you love her, you should let her make her own choices. To be in love is to put the happiness of another before your own. You failed to do so."

Kiba sighed, not knowing what to say to that. The pair walked silently for a while. They turned another corner, heading back in the direction of the Aburame compound.

/

"Sakura dear! Dinner's ready!" a female voice called.

The pinkette opened her eyes. She was surprised that she had actually fallen asleep. She got out of bed and slowly made her way downstairs. She hoped that her parents wouldn't press her about anything related to Naruto. She had had enough of that for one day.

Sakura sat down at the table with her mother across from her and her father to her left. She started eating without speaking. Kizashi looked meaningfully at Mebuki, who raised an eyebrow at him. After a moment, the older pink-haired woman spoke.

"So did you have a good time on your mission with Naruto-kun, Sakura dear?" she asked.

Sakura looked up from her food at her mother. She smiled weakly.

"Yeah... It was great getting to spend so much time with him. We've gotten really close," Sakura explained.

Kizashi frowned almost imperceptibly. He decided it would be alright if he asked a question without mentioning Naruto by name.

"Weren't you supposed to come back from your mission last night? What happened?" asked Sakura's father.

Mebuki was looking at him warningly, but he was still looking at Sakura. The younger pinkette glanced at him with slightly surprised eyes.

"Oh... We came back so late that we were really tired. I decided to just sleep at his apartment."

Kizashi looked down in thought. He wasn't really sure how to get the information he wanted without mentioning Naruto, but there was one thing he really wanted to know. His wife was looking at him with more intensity, which he was unfortunately completely unaware of.

"Oh, I see... I know you've spent the night there a few times. Do you sleep on the couch, or...?"

Mebuki's gaze was rather incendiary now. Kizashi was a bit worried about what he would see if he looked over at his wife. Sakura frowned lightly and exhaled. She was not in the proper state of mind to deal with this right now.

"No... I actually sleep in his bed with him."

Kizashi's eyes widened in shock. He looked over at his wife for support, only to be met by a glare that was barely sub-nuclear. He gulped and looked at her apologetically. He decided to try to salvage the situation. He looked back at Sakura.

"Sakura, we're just worried about you. It just seems like you two are moving pretty fast, that's all."

He looked back at his wife and got the distinct impression that he should not have included her in that statement. Sakura sighed.

"Look, I really love him... I've known him for so long and he means everything to me. I don't see anything wrong with it."

Kizashi frowned. His wife had finally looked away from him and was giving Sakura a soft look of understanding.

"It sounds beautiful, Sakura dear. I'm really happy for you," Mebuki said.

Sakura smiled weakly again.

"Thanks, mom."

Kizashi glanced at his wife and back at Sakura before speaking again.

"It sounds fine to me too... I just don't want you to be hurt," he said.

Sakura's eyes widened in dread. She gazed blankly at him.

"You're worried about me getting hurt? But... Naruto would never hurt me."

Kizashi smiled apologetically. Neither him nor his wife noticed the unease building in Sakura.

"I just can't help but worry about you. You're still my little girl."

Mebuki was glaring at her husband once more. Sakura's eyes widened again. Her chest hurt at the implication.

"So you don't trust Naruto...?"

Kizashi's smile became more apologetic in its desperation. This effort on his part was the only thing that saved him from his wife.

"No, I do... I know how long the two of you have been teammates. I just worry about you, that's all."

Sakura frowned sadly.

"Dad, I'm sorry. But I won't protect my heart from him. If he wants to destroy it, I'm going to let him. It would only be fair."

Her father stared at her for a moment as Mebuki gave Sakura a sympathetic look.

Kizashi could tell when something was serious for his daughter, and this was one of those times. He knew he shouldn't say anything more about this. But for the life of him, he couldn't help himself. He had never had very high aspirations for his family name. Even if they were teammates, Naruto was still a man. Kizashi simply couldn't conceive of the most famous hero of the ninja world really wanting to spend the rest of his entire life with Sakura. As much as he had loved Mebuki, he didn't think he would have been so devoted if he had the options that Naruto did. So he just couldn't let the matter drop.

"Can't you at least be a little careful, Sakura? He's really popular. Everyone talks about him. There are a lot of women who want to be with him. I just don't want to see you hurt if he changes his mind about being with you."

Sakura suddenly stood up, looking quite distraught. Her wide, green eyes were slightly watery.

"No! You don't understand anything about me and Naruto! I could never be careful... Not with him... By all rights, he should want to hurt me. He should want to take everything from me and leave me to feel worthless. But he would never do that. He's too good. He's too sweet and kind. He would never take advantage of me. Knowing that makes me feel like the worst kind of trash, because I've hurt him so much... I broke his heart and then he almost died because of me... So he should've told me to get lost! He should've told me that he only ever wanted one thing from me! He should've told me that he could never love someone like me! Then he should've LAUGHED at me!"

Sakura blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek as she spoke more softly.

"But he didn't... He was so scared when he thought that he had hurt me... He told me that I was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen... He said he loved me... He always says he loves me... And he does... He really loves me... But he shouldn't... It's wrong... I don't deserve it... It's not fair... None of it is fair..."

Her parents both gaped at her in shock as they struggled to process her words. Sakura's eyes widened when she realized what she had carelessly blurted out. She started to panic.

"... I'm sorry. I can't stay here," the pinkette mumbled.

She ran up to her room and quickly packed her bag before exiting through a window, making her way over the rooftops at high speed.

After quite some time, Sakura's parents recovered from their shock. Mebuki glanced over at Kizashi, looking exasperated.

"What did I tell you? I hope you're happy. Maybe you'll listen to me next time," she said.

The Haruno man sighed deeply.

/

Sakura knew that this was irrational. But she had to see Naruto. She needed to see that everything was okay. That he still loved her, that he hadn't come to his senses and realized that he had just been curious, that he really didn't want to stay with someone like her. Someone who had been willing to risk his life so selfishly.

She landed several feet away from the door to his apartment. She really hoped he was home. She felt like she was probably going to start crying if he wasn't.

She knocked on the door in her usual way, though it was a little more hurried than usual. A few seconds passed. Just as her heart began to sink, the door swung open. Naruto looked surprised to see her. He was still dressed in his normal clothes, minus his jacket.

"Sakura-chan? What's-" he started to say before being interrupted by the pinkette hurriedly embracing him.

"Naruto... I'm sorry, but I had to see you... Would it be okay if I stayed here tonight? I remembered to bring my pajamas this time," Sakura replied emotionally.

After recovering from his surprise, the blonde smiled softly.

"Of course... I always want to spend time with you, Sakura-chan. There's no reason I would ever say no."

Sakura pulled back and looked at him tenderly.

"Thanks, Naruto..."

Naruto grinned lightly.

"Don't mention it. I was going to make some ramen. I hope you don't mind."

Sakura grinned back.

"I'm not that hungry, but I'll eat some with you."

They walked inside. They made the ramen together, effortless as it was. When they sat down to eat it, Sakura took a few bites before looking up at Naruto. He wasn't eating that fast, instead studying her face closely.

"So... Is everything okay, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura sighed.

"Work was fine... But I feel so much better when you're around, Naruto. Everything feels so much more stressful without you."

Naruto looked at her with concern.

"Did something happen?"

She frowned.

"Well, Kiba gave me a hard time about Hinata again. Apparently, his nose is almost omniscient. So he went to tell Hinata, and I ended up talking to her as well. Then I talked to my parents. It was just too much, Naruto."

The blonde looked very troubled. He stopped eating his soup.

"Kiba... That bastard. He has no right to mess with you like that. I should kick his ass. I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan. It's my fault."

Sakura looked at him imploringly.

"It's not your fault, Naruto. You didn't do anything wrong. And Kiba isn't worth it. Don't worry about him."

Naruto sighed.

"But I need to do something about this. It's affecting you."

Her expression softened.

"Just let me stay with you for a while. And take care of me like you always have. That's all I want, Naruto."

He gave her a surprised look before smiling.

"But... I would do that anyway."

The pinkette smiled weakly.

"Yeah, I know..."

They eventually finished eating. As Naruto cleared away the dishes, Sakura went to change into her pajamas, which were pink. It was colder tonight than it had been recently, so she was glad that she brought them.

They decided to study some of Naruto's Hokage materials that he brought home. After they had been doing that for a few hours, they both yawned at the same time.

Naruto glanced over at her.

"We should go to bed, Sakura-chan."

Sakura looked at him with surprise.

"Really...? You really want to?"

He looked at her somewhat confusedly before nodding.

"Well, yeah. I mean, it's pretty late. Don't you want to?"

She gulped.

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Okay, I'll see you there."

He grinned lightly at her and walked off.

Sakura wasn't sure what to think. She did say she was happy to do that with him, but after the day she'd had, she really didn't feel like it. But the idea of denying him felt so much worse. She never wanted him to feel like she didn't love him. She couldn't let that happen, no matter what.

Naruto lay shirtless on top of the covers. He always felt a lot more eager to go to bed when he could sleep next to Sakura. It was wonderful to know that he would wake up next to her. It felt more warm and reassuring than any blanket. He wondered why she hadn't come in the room yet. After a minute, she finally entered.

Sakura went to stand uncomfortably next to the bed. She looked over at Naruto, who smiled at her softly. Now she was certain. She couldn't possibly say no. That smile would be replaced by a hurt look if she did. Things would become awkward between them. She couldn't bear that. It would be much easier to just do this for him.

Naruto marveled at how cute she looked in her pink pajamas. They were almost the exact same color as her hair. He was so glad that she had decided to come over. He wished it could always be like this. His life was so much brighter with her in it.

As he wondered why she was just standing there, he noticed her arms were moving. He looked down to see that the first two buttons of her pajama top had come unbuttoned. She was in the process of unbuttoning the third. His eyes widened at the triangle of pale flesh. He quickly sprung out of bed and grabbed hold of both her hands.

Sakura turned her head and gave him a blank look. Naruto was staring at her in horror.

"Sakura-chan... Why were you doing that...?" he asked slowly.

The pinkette blinked a few times in confusion.

"I... I thought..."

Naruto watched her with pain in his eyes as she spoke.

"I thought you..." she continued haltingly. She didn't know how to explain her thought process.

His eyes widened.

"Sakura-chan..."

Naruto wrapped his arms around her, pulling her down with him as he sat on the bed. Sakura stared over his shoulder in confusion, her arms hanging limply at her sides.

"You thought that I wanted to..." he said, trailing off.

He didn't want to actually put it into words. He wished he was wrong, but he knew he wasn't.

Sakura only nodded.

"And... You didn't want to?" Naruto asked.

She nodded again, more hesitantly this time. He sighed deeply.

"Sakura-chan... Why?"

Something snapped inside of her to hear that single soft-spoken word from him. She saw that he really couldn't understand the turmoil she felt. To him, she had no reason to act like this. In his eyes, she was always proud and beautiful. She didn't understand how he could possibly think like that. She started to sob.

"Because... I never want you to have any reason to think that I don't love you... I never want you to think that I wouldn't do anything for you... Because I would, Naruto... I would..." Sakura said tearfully.

Naruto held her a little more tightly, cradling her head against his shoulder. He felt the drops of warm liquid impact his bare skin.

"Sakura-chan, I know you do. And I know you would. But I never want you to do anything that you don't want to do. Don't you understand that?"

The pinkette sniffed loudly.

"But, Naruto... I don't deserve that... I don't deserve that kind of consideration... You deserve the care that I have for you... I don't deserve yours... That's the difference..."

Naruto frowned.

"I don't care whether or not you deserve it. You have it. I never want you to force yourself to do something just to make me happy, Sakura-chan. Okay?"

She nodded reluctantly.

"Okay..."

He repositioned himself so that they were sitting adjacent to each other on the bed. Then he reached over and started carefully buttoning her pajama top back up. Sakura wiped her eyes on her sleeve as he did.

"What's got you thinking like this, Sakura-chan? I can't believe that Kiba could do this to you. There's no way. He's too much of an idiot."

Sakura chuckled softly, though she was still upset.

"Haha... No, it wasn't him... When I talked to Hinata, she said that hearing my name hurt you. She talked about how many times she had seen you hurt over me. Then when I talked to my parents, my dad said that he wanted me to be more careful. He was worried that we were moving too fast. He thought you might not want to stay with me after I gave you everything... And that really upset me. Because when I learned that you almost died trying to keep your promise, all I could think about was that there was no way that I could ever make it up to you. It felt terrible knowing we would never be even. But if you left me, I would feel so worthless. I wouldn't even be able to go on. It would destroy me. It would make us even, Naruto."

The blonde looked at her seriously.

"But, Sakura-chan... You know that I could never leave you."

She looked down sadly.

"I do know that... And it makes me feel awful. I'm getting away with it because of your good nature. You should've just taken advantage of me, Naruto. You should've tricked me into thinking that you still loved me. You should've just said that you did so that I would give you everything. You should've had your way with me until you were satisfied and then left me to suffer. That's what I deserve for risking your precious life. It was the only way to make us even, Naruto. It's just not fair."

Naruto gaped at her for a few moments until his features settled into a puzzled expression.

"Sakura-chan, there's something that doesn't make sense to me."

Sakura looked up at him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

His blue eyes shifted to the side pensively before fixing on her again.

"I don't understand why you're saying that you gave me everything. Why do you keep saying that?"

She blinked. Then she gave him an irritated look. Maybe he really was making fun of her this time. There was no way that he could be that dense.

"Naruto, I slept with you. I gave you my-"

Naruto spoke over her quickly.

"I know that, Sakura-chan. I'm not that naive. I loved doing that with you, but I don't get it. How is that everything? I always dreamed of so much more. I wanted us to live together. So that I could always wake up next to you. And I was hoping we could eventually get married. Then I was thinking we could have a kid. I always thought that we could be the parents that my mom and dad never got to be. Since you're so much like my mom."

Sakura was staring at him with wide eyes.

"But maybe we'd have more than one kid. And-" Naruto continued.

Her eyes had started to water again, but they were happy tears.

"Oh, Naruto...!"

She embraced him with an energy she hadn't thought she had.

"Why...? Why are you so wonderful? Why are you so devoted to me, Naruto? Why are you so sweet just for me? Why me...? I didn't do anything to deserve it..." Sakura said tearfully.

The blonde smiled softly as he put his arms around her.

"You did do something to deserve it, Sakura-chan."

She was smiling in relief as she chuckled.

"Haha... I can't imagine what it was... I didn't do anything that special, Naruto."

He smiled more widely.

"But you did. And it's something that means the world to me. You're Sakura-chan. And for Sakura-chan... To see her smiling face... I would do anything."

Sakura held him a little more tightly.

"Thank you... Thank you so much for being you, Naruto... I don't want to think about what my life would have been like if you weren't in it."

Naruto kissed the top of her pink head.

"I feel the same way. So let's not think about it. We don't have to worry about any of this stuff anymore, Sakura-chan. We can just be happy. Because I love you."

The pinkette sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"I love you too, Naruto."

She finally pulled back, keeping a hand on his shoulder. Her lip was quivering as she smiled at him. He smiled softly back.

"So do you want to finally go to sleep, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura nodded quickly.

"Yeah, I'm really tired..."

They laid down side by side with some space between them and pulled the covers over themselves. After a few moments, Sakura spoke up again.

"Naruto... Is it okay if I move your pillow?" she asked shyly.

The blonde looked at her confusedly but obeyed, lifting his head off of the soft white fabric. Sakura reached over and moved it a few inches closer to the center of the bed. Then she nodded at him with a small smile on her face. He lowered his head again, still looking a bit puzzled.

She scooted over so that her head was resting next to his on the pillow as she lay on her side with an arm draped over him. Then she began running her fingers through his blonde hair idly with her other hand while she spoke in a soft voice.

"Ino said that I need you... She said you're like my teddy bear... You're my whole world, Naruto... I want to always stay with you... I get anxious when I can't show you how much I love you... And even though the way I feel is unconditional... Please don't ever change... I know it's selfish, but I want you to stay just the way you are..."

Sakura finally kissed him on the cheek. Naruto had long since surrendered to her ministrations, only blushing lightly as he stared at the ceiling.

"She was right, Naruto... I need you here with me..." the pinkette finished drowsily.

She quickly drifted off to sleep. Naruto followed shortly after, a content smile on his face.


	12. Fateful Warning

The next morning, Naruto opened his eyes. He could feel a heavy weight and his vision was a sea of pink. He blinked a few times and realized that it was Sakura's hair. It had fallen over her face. She had snuggled even closer to him during the night. He took a deep breath and looked up at the white ceiling.

He had always wanted to be with her, but he didn't think that she would grow so dependent on him. He had never wanted her to change for him. He thought about the past few weeks. She had been her usual assertive self for most of the time that they were together. Then she had learned about the scar on his chest. They had both silently agreed that it could never drive them apart. Then they had slept together after returning from their mission. Naruto wondered why she had wanted to. He hoped it wasn't just because he had been depressed over his parents.

After that, it began to seem that rather than the truth of the promise driving them apart, it instead had the effect of Sakura always wanting to be in his arms. And though this was quite pleasant for him, he had always thought of her as being very independent and determined. He had never thought that being with him would have changed that. He had to talk to her and try to understand her better. He couldn't leave this alone.

The blonde thought about what he should say for some time. Finally, he felt her form stirring on top of him. He watched her open her eyes and smile when she saw him.

"Naruto..." Sakura said.

He grinned awkwardly.

"Hi, Sakura-chan. How are you?" Naruto replied.

She chuckled before separating from him to stretch her arms.

"Haha... I'm fine. Sorry for rolling on top of you like that. I hope you slept well anyway."

He nodded.

"You could never be a problem for me, Sakura-chan. But, I've been thinking. Can we talk about something?"

Sakura swallowed and looked at him with concern.

"Sure... What's wrong, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled softly at her, putting her mind at ease.

"Well... I've always thought you were amazing. You're a hundred times smarter than I could ever be. You're so beautiful. And you've always been so gentle and caring. So I'm really happy to be with you."

She smiled warmly.

"You're sweet, Naruto."

His eyes moved to one side.

"It's precisely because you're so amazing that I love you. It's why I would do anything to protect you. But I'm worried."

Naruto looked back at the pinkette, who raised an eyebrow.

"Because I never thought that I would have to. Sakura-chan, you were always so strong. What have I done to you?" he asked.

Her green eyes widened.

"You haven't done anything, Naruto..."

He looked at her desperately and gripped one of her hands.

"Why do I feel like you've given me so much power over you? I never wanted that, Sakura-chan. I never thought I would change the way you were. I never thought you would need me so much. Don't get me wrong, I'll always be there for you. But I thought you were amazing all on your own."

Sakura frowned sadly.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. But I just felt so unworthy of your love. I kept thinking that the next time I would see you, you would have realized how horribly I treated you and not want to be with me anymore. And I don't feel like I can ever make up for what I did."

Naruto grasped her hand more tightly.

"But I don't care about what you did, Sakura-chan. You made it up to me by being yourself. If you ever needed to make it up to me, then you did back when we went to visit Teme. I was so miserable back then. You took that misery away and replaced it with happiness. It was more than I could have ever asked for. I told you before that it doesn't matter what you do to me. I choose you. I chose you a long time ago. Can't you see that?"

She nodded slowly.

"I do. I know that. It's just that I felt so guilty. I felt like I shouldn't be able to get away with it. It's hard to explain."

He sighed deeply.

"You mean, like what you were talking about last night? You think I should have punished you for it?"

Sakura gave him a surprised look.

"Well, I know you never would. That's what makes me feel bad."

Naruto looked at her seriously.

"Sakura-chan, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even be here. I think you made up for it. I am not going to hurt you, take advantage of you, or anything like that. You're my most precious person. You can't expect me to purposely hurt you or to try and make you feel like you aren't worth anything. Even if you weren't my most precious person, you saved my life. So that would be unthinkable. It would be so disgusting. I could never do something like that."

She watched him for a few moments, examining his serious expression. He was always so heroic. She finally smiled.

"Okay, Naruto. You don't have to. I'll try to be the strong-willed Sakura again. But I still love you. And since it's unconditional, I would love you even if you hated me, Naruto. That's why I struggled so much with this. I never knew about it. I've always had such strong feelings about protecting you and I never realized that I had betrayed them in the worst way possible. I wish you had told me."

The blonde smiled weakly back.

"Maybe I should have. If I knew that promise would end up hurting you so much, I would never have made it. I was only trying to make you happy."

Sakura laughed.

"Haha. I think that's the problem. We both try so hard to make the other person happy. When really, we would both be happy without either of us needing to do anything. So all we do is make each other feel guilty."

Naruto chuckled ruefully.

"Haha... Yeah... Listen, there's one other thing I want to know."

She looked at him curiously.

"What is it, Naruto?"

He looked quite serious again.

"Why did we sleep together? Did you want to do that for me because I was hurt over my parents?"

Sakura's eyes widened. She certainly didn't want to make him feel guilty. Fortunately, she didn't have to lie to him.

"I'm not going to tell you that it had nothing to do with that. Of course it did. But I wanted to do it regardless. I'm in love with you, Naruto. So I wanted to show you how much I loved you. And how much I trusted you. Yes, it was my first time, and that should have been a big deal... But nothing involving you could ever be scary. Didn't I tell you that I didn't want to wait that long?"

Naruto smiled in relief.

"Yeah, you did. Okay... That's a load off my mind. I didn't want to make you do something like that before you really wanted to, Sakura-chan."

She smiled back at him. He didn't need to know that a large part of why she had wanted to was her guilt. She simply saw no good reason to deny him that after what she had learned. Not with the way she felt about him. The pinkette loved him so much that it sometimes caused her physical pain. Sentimentality had as much chance as an ice sculpture in the Suna desert.

She didn't really see anything wrong with it, though. She likely would have done so even without that revelation. It was just natural for her to want to comfort him. For better or for worse.

"I'm glad, Naruto. But hey, I have to work today. Unfortunately. So I'm going to get ready now."

He nodded.

"Okay, Sakura-chan. You can use the bathroom first."

/

They were walking together to the hospital after Naruto had insisted on doing so. Sakura had changed into her hospital garb and carried her bag with her. She turned to look at him.

"Hey, Naruto. Do you mind if I stay with you again tonight? I don't have to work tomorrow, so we can do something together."

He looked at her with surprise.

"Sure, Sakura-chan... But why? Is there something going on with you and your parents?"

The pinkette looked off to one side.

"Not really. They're not mad at me or anything. It just might be a little awkward, and I really like sleeping with you."

Naruto gave her a concerned look.

"Well, okay. But I think you should talk to them tomorrow, at least. They'll be worried about you. And I don't want them to think I'm trying to keep you from them. I like them."

She nodded.

"I will. Thanks, Naruto."

He finally smiled.

They eventually arrived at the hospital. Sakura gave the blonde a hug which lasted a while.

"I'll see you tonight, Naruto. I love you."

They pulled back and smiled softly at one another.

"I love you too, Sakura-chan."

Sakura quickly waved and darted into the doors of the hospital. Parting with him was like ripping off a bandage, it was best done as fast as possible.

Naruto slowly walked off, unsure what to do with the rest of his day.

/

Naruto ended up going to the Hokage office for a few hours even though he wasn't expected there. He had to endure the summary ribbing from Kakashi, but the older man relented quickly. While he was studying, he heard someone walk up behind him.

"Kakashi-sensei, I said no," Naruto said, sounding irritated.

"It's me, Naruto-kun," a female voice replied.

Naruto turned in his chair to look. It was Shizune. She had a kind smile on her face.

"Oh, sorry. He's been so annoying. Why doesn't he get a girlfriend of his own?"

The raven-haired medical ninja blushed lightly.

"I don't know. He seems happy with his books."

Naruto grimaced.

"Yeah... So what's up, Shizune-nee-chan?"

She shrugged.

"Nothing much. How are things with you and Sakura?"

The blonde had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"It's complicated. Do you know anything about relationships?"

Shizune flushed, looking rather sheepish.

"I don't like to admit this, but I've never been in one."

He gaped at her.

"Really?! But you're..."

She glared at him playfully.

"Old?"

Naruto shook his head rapidly.

"No! I wasn't going to say that! But you're so pretty, Shizune-nee-chan. And you're around the same age as most of my senseis. How come you've never been in one?"

Shizune sighed.

"I don't want to blame her. It was my choice. But it was because of Tsunade-sama. I didn't want to leave her alone. She drank and gambled, and she was lonely. I was fearful that someone would take advantage of her. So I didn't want to leave her. And since we moved around constantly, there was no time to get to know anyone."

"But... Wouldn't you have time for one now?"

She frowned.

"Yeah, I would. But there's really no one... Well, except for Hokage-sama. But we both know how he is."

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. I feel like he must be in the same boat as you, though. I get the impression that he always kept to himself because of his past."

"I think you're right. But he never looks up from his books. Tell me about you and Sakura, though. Maybe I can help anyway."

He sighed.

"Well, I always loved Sakura-chan. I always wanted to be with her, and I never thought she wanted to be with me. I never thought she even really cared about me. And I was just completely wrong about everything. And now, she really cares about me and she always wants to be around me. And I'm just scared that I'm changing her. I never wanted her to change for me."

The Hokage's assistant had a pensive look on her face.

"Hmm... Well, people change, Naruto-kun. With or without you. I feel like I've changed a lot in the years since we first met. And I wasn't in a relationship with anyone. You can't really expect Sakura to stay the same in any case."

Naruto looked at her more intently.

"But all of this is because of me. She's told me as much."

"Well, what can you really do about it? As long as it doesn't break you two apart, I don't think you need to be concerned about it if Sakura is happy."

The blonde frowned as well.

"She's happy, but only when she's around me. She says she's really stressed out otherwise."

Shizune cocked her head to one side.

"Hmm. I don't know what to tell you, Naruto-kun. It sounds like something Sakura needs to work through on her own. I'd say just try to be there for her as much as you can."

Naruto looked at her with a weak smile on his face.

"I was going to do that anyway, but thanks, Shizune-nee-chan."

She nodded sharply.

"Anytime, Naruto-kun."

The dark-haired woman walked back to her desk. Naruto turned and resumed his work. He was more distracted now than ever before.

/

Naruto had left the Hokage office. He headed towards the ramen shop. Many more people took the time to greet him by name when he wasn't with Sakura. He wondered why this was so.

When he arrived, he sat down at the counter and ordered several bowls of ramen. He began eating them in quick succession.

As his stomach was almost full, a somewhat unfamiliar figure sat down next to him. Naruto looked up from what would be his last bowl and saw that it was Shino. The bug ninja was as unreadable as always.

"Shino? I didn't know you ate ramen," Naruto said.

"I don't. Unfortunately, I don't care for it," Shino replied.

Naruto regarded him with a blank stare.

"Uh... What are you doing here, then?"

Shino bowed his head very slightly.

"I have been made aware of something that leads me to believe that my reasoning was incorrect the last time we spoke. I apologize for this. Why, you ask? Because I caused you unnecessary alarm."

Naruto shrugged.

"It's OK. Whatever. It was a while ago."

"It is most distressing that my logic failed me. Why, you ask? Because as an Aburame, I-"

The blonde held up a hand.

"Shino, I'm done eating, so I have to go. I'll listen to this later."

The Aburame stared at him for a moment before nodding.

"Very well."

Naruto stood up and quickly walked off, leaving Shino's presence at the ramen stand without a purpose. He realized this and departed as well.

/

Kiba was walking down the street near where the hospital was. He saw a distant pink-haired figure walking away from him. Anger rose in him as it usually did and he started walking faster.

After he had closed half of the distance, the awning of a sundries shop was in his path. As he walked under it, he found himself immobile. He couldn't move a muscle no matter how much he struggled. He noticed that Akamaru was under the same effect. He realized what had happened and just glared bitterly at Sakura as she walked away. When she was out of sight, he felt the power that had taken hold of him release itself.

Kiba quickly spun around and saw Shikamaru standing directly behind him. He flinched at the close proximity of the frowning Nara.

"Shikamaru! What are you thinking, using your jutsu on me?" Kiba demanded.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.

"I think you know exactly why I did that. You were going to be troublesome," he replied.

The dog ninja glared at him.

"So what? I was just going to talk to her."

Shikamaru examined him for a few seconds before replying.

"What kind of person do you think Naruto is?"

Kiba smirked in his usual haughty fashion.

"He's just an idiot. I know he's strong, but if you expect me to be scared of him, you're not as smart as everyone says you are. He wouldn't do anything. He's too concerned with having a squeaky clean image so that he can be the Hokage."

The raven-haired man frowned.

"Do you know of a shinobi named Sabaku no Gaara?"

Kiba nodded.

"The Godaime Kazekage? He was such a scary ass dude back then. Aren't you dating his sister? Good luck with that."

Shikamaru sighed.

"I'm not, though I wish I was. But Gaara once made the mistake of threatening Sakura's life when Naruto was in a position to do something about it. Back then, Naruto had no great accomplishments to his name. Yet he defeated a bijuu to protect her. Defeating a tailed beast as a rookie Genin... Needless to say, he's closer to her now than he was back then. But you're well aware of that, aren't you?"

Kiba shrugged. Shikamaru continued to speak in a grim tone.

"You might think Naruto is just a carefree idiot. You might think that you can do whatever you want to him. No matter how many times you make a fool out of him, he'll never retaliate. He'll just laugh it off. And you're probably right," he continued.

His expression darkened.

"But if you do anything to hurt Sakura, you're going to find that you never truly knew Naruto at all. If you're lucky, you'll deeply regret being so troublesome. If not... You won't be able to regret anything anymore. Because he's not going to care why you did it. He's not going to care that you're a Konoha shinobi. If Naruto thinks you're hurting the woman he loves, your existence will become intolerable to him. He will destroy you without thinking twice about it."

Kiba paled and swallowed hard. He had never seen the Nara like this before.

"I wouldn't count on him making the distinction that you were only using harsh words, that you weren't actually hurting her physically. Don't get me wrong, there's a very good chance that he would. But it seems like a foolish gamble to make."

Shikamaru pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He took a draw from it and glanced at Kiba. His casual demeanor had returned. The dog ninja just stared at him wide-eyed.

"That's all. Goodbye, Kiba."

Kiba couldn't think of anything to say. He turned and quickly walked away.

/

Sakura had decided to visit Ino before going to Naruto's apartment. She had changed back into her normal clothes. It was still early enough that Naruto might not be home. She had hoped that her Yamanaka friend would have visited her during her lunch break, but she had been alone. She felt much better today than she had yesterday, but she wanted to talk to someone, and Ino was the only one who she felt like she could talk to about this.

She walked through the open door of the flower shop and saw Ino standing behind the counter. Fortunately, there were no other customers. Ino brightened up upon seeing her friend.

"Hey, Ino-pig," Sakura said.

"What are you doing here, Forehead? It's been a while since you came to the shop," Ino replied.

Sakura frowned lightly. She went up to the counter and spoke quietly so as to not be overheard.

"I wanted to talk to you some more."

Ino watched her curiously.

"You mean about Naruto, right?"

The pinkette nodded.

"Yeah... Nothing bad happened, but I think I'm scaring him a little."

Ino tilted her head to one side.

"You mean, when you asked to move in with him? Maybe it was too soon."

Sakura sighed.

"No, I didn't even ask him that. He's just worried that he's changing me because of how emotional and clingy I'm being. He wants me to be the confident Sakura again."

Ino stared at her blankly.

"You mean, he doesn't know that was all an act?"

Sakura glared at the blonde woman.

"Gee, thanks, Ino-pig. Tell me how you really feel."

Ino smiled apologetically.

"I'm not saying you aren't a strong person, Forehead. You're really forceful about the things you care about. But you've always been so insecure about your appearance and other things. It was the entire basis for our friendship."

Sakura looked away thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I guess that's true."

"So Naruto never understood that?"

The pinkette looked back at Ino.

"I suppose not. He has too high of an opinion of me to really see me as being flawed. I guess that's an issue."

Ino raised an eyebrow.

"Well, he loves you. Speaking of which, how is that going? Did you two do anything else?"

Sakura looked down with a troubled expression.

"No. I did something stupid. I think he's probably not going to feel comfortable doing that again because of it."

The blonde gaped at her.

"Really? What did you do?"

Sakura looked up at Ino imploringly.

"There was a misunderstanding. I don't want to say what it was. It's really personal."

Ino chuckled.

"Haha. Okay, I won't force you to tell me. But you know, there are other things you can do besides having actual sex, Forehead. You could get more comfortable with each other and work your way up to doing it again."

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Like what?"

Ino's eyes lit up.

"Well, there's..."

She went into detail on many things. Sakura was more wide-eyed than ever by the end of it.

"How do you even know about all that stuff? I thought you hadn't even been in a serious relationship yet?"

Ino sighed.

"After Daddy died, my mom started to get overprotective. She wanted to make sure that I wouldn't endanger the Yamanaka legacy. She didn't want someone unworthy to get me pregnant and end up gaining control over the clan. So I needed to learn how to be intimate with someone without the risk of pregnancy."

Sakura nodded with a wry smile. Ino had always been a dangerously free spirit.

"That makes sense. I guess you really don't need me to teach you that jutsu, then."

The blonde woman frowned.

"You're so ungrateful, Forehead."

Sakura grinned.

"I'm just kidding. I'll teach it to you some other time, Ino-pig. I have to go. Thanks for the advice."

Ino nodded.

"Sure. Good luck, Forehead."

The pinkette waved and quickly exited the premises. Ino sighed and smiled knowingly after she had gone.


	13. Surrender

It was dusk when Sakura left the flower shop. She didn't know if Naruto would be home yet as they hadn't specified a time. She decided to go try to see him anyway. She wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. Since she had been so emotional yesterday, she felt like she can't have been much fun to be around. She was resolved to create happier times for both of them as she made her way to the residential district.

When she arrived, she walked briskly up to the door to his apartment and knocked on it. She waited a while and knocked again. It seemed he wasn't home. She sighed languidly, wondering what she should do. She wasn't sure if she should wait for him or come back later. She settled on the latter and turned around.

She noticed an orange-clad figure in the distance. He waved at her as he approached. Sakura smiled widely and gave him a small wave back.

As Naruto got close enough to speak, he had a casual grin on his face.

"Hi, Sakura-chan. I hope you didn't have to wait for me," he said.

Sakura simply approached him and planted a kiss on his lips as a response. He smiled shyly at her as she pulled back.

"No, I just got here. I am happy to see you though, Naruto. I was worried I would have to come back later," she replied.

The blonde grinned wider.

"I'm glad I came now, then. I didn't want to miss spending time with you. So what do you want to do?"

Sakura hummed thoughtfully.

"Hmm... Why don't we do something outside? There's not much to do in your apartment, after all."

"Sure, that sounds good to me."

The pinkette held up her bag.

"First, could you let me put this inside so I don't have to carry it around?"

Naruto nodded. He deftly unlocked the door and opened it.

"There you go. Man, I'm a disgrace of an Uzumaki. I open my door with a key. I need to learn fuinjutsu someday."

The pinkette walked inside and set the bag down on the kitchen counter before going back outside to join Naruto. She checked that the door was locked before closing it.

"Isn't fuinjutsu basically just memorization as long as you have the chakra to use it? You're an Uzumaki, so I'm sure you could do it, Naruto."

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"I guess I could. Thanks, Sakura-chan. You always believed in me. Where do you want to go?"

Naruto smiled hopefully at her. She grinned back.

"Let's just walk around. We'll come up with something."

They walked off hand in hand. After they had gotten a ways down the street, Sakura leaned her head on his shoulder. The blonde smiled at this affirmation of her presence.

/

The couple was walking through the commercial area. They actually hadn't said much to each other. Each was just happy to be with the other. They had gotten many looks, but no one had approached them.

They both noticed Hinata leaving a store accompanied by one of her Hyuga guards. Naruto turned to look at Sakura.

"Look, there's Hinata. We should go say hi to her," he said.

She frowned lightly. Hinata wasn't really her friend, even if she was Naruto's. She doubted that the Hyuga girl would be at all happy to see her.

"Naruto, are you sure? She might not want to see us," Sakura replied.

The blonde looked at her imploringly.

"I know, but she's still my friend. She did a lot for me, Sakura-chan. Even though I don't feel the same way about her as I do about you, I don't want to lose her friendship."

Sakura nodded reluctantly. They both walked faster to cross paths with Hinata. The bluenette turned to look at them. Her eyes grew somewhat pained, but she had a polite smile on her face.

"Naruto-kun... Sakura-san. Hello... How are you two doing?" she greeted.

Sakura smiled politely as well. Naruto grinned.

"Hello," the pinkette said.

"We're doing great. What are you up to, Hinata?" Naruto asked.

Hinata smiled a little more genuinely. Sakura watched the exchange curiously.

"I was buying some textiles for our craftsmen to use... Some of my distant relatives in the branch family are getting married soon, and I wanted to do something nice for them. It's what Neji-nii-san would have wanted."

Naruto looked down in thought.

"I see... Hinata, I promise that I'll change the Hyuga when I become Hokage. Don't think that I abandoned you or the things that you care about. You'll always be an important friend to me."

Hinata's expression grew more pained. To be reminded of the fact that she would never be more than a friend to him while seeing Sakura on his arm made her feel miserable. She couldn't stand to look at them. She was having great difficulty maintaining the smile on her face, but Naruto didn't notice.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun..."

The Hyuga attending to her did notice, however, and gently touched her arm.

"Hinata-sama, we should go. Hiashi-sama is expecting you to return within the hour," he said stoically.

Hinata turned to him and nodded with some relief before turning back to Naruto.

"Sorry, but it looks like I have to go. Farewell, Naruto-kun, Sakura-san. Have a good rest of your evening."

Naruto smiled and nodded.

"That's fine. Bye, Hinata."

Sakura mumbled a goodbye as well. She would have liked to have been invisible for that exchange.

When the two Hyuga were out of sight, Sakura tugged on Naruto's arm.

"Come on, Naruto, let's go," she said hurriedly.

"Okay, Sakura-chan."

They walked off together. Sakura entertained a thought of pointing out how uncomfortable that had been for Hinata, but she felt it would do no good. All it would do is make him feel bad for the blue-haired girl. Naruto would never abandon his friends in any case.

/

They ended up on the outskirts of Konoha. They had bought some takoyaki to eat for a light meal as they walked along. Neither of them really felt like sitting down at a restaurant.

When they finished the takoyaki, they walked hand in hand to a large lake that reflected the light of the full moon. Sakura squeezed Naruto's hand.

"Look, Naruto. The moon looks so pretty," she said.

Naruto smiled softly at her.

"It does... But I don't think it's as beautiful as you are."

Sakura blushed lightly.

"You know that line wouldn't work for anyone other than you, right?"

The blonde looked at her quizzically.

"Why does it work for me, then?"

She gazed at him with a warm smile.

"Because, Naruto... You're always genuine. The thought of telling someone something just to make them like you more wouldn't even occur to you. If you say something, then you mean it. So I know you mean it, and I'm very flattered. But you don't need to win me over. I already love you."

He nodded, his brow wrinkled in thought.

"I see... But, Sakura-chan, I want you to feel like you're beautiful. You're the most beautiful person to me. You always have been."

Sakura blushed more deeply.

"Thank you, Naruto. I couldn't ask for anyone better than you to be in love with. I'm really happy."

Naruto's eyes widened a little at this.

"Sakura-chan, I'm a little curious about something."

She looked at him with curiosity.

"Sure, what is it?"

He gazed at her with wide, tentative eyes.

"If I hadn't been honest with you back then... What would have happened? What would you have done?"

The pinkette gaped a little. She knew exactly what he meant, and she wasn't sure that she even knew the answer herself. But she really didn't want him to worry about something like that.

"Well, if you said you didn't love me, I don't think I would have believed you. It was the only thing that made sense. I don't know what other reason you could've had for avoiding me. So I probably would've kept trying to get through to you until you told me the truth."

Naruto looked away in thought before meeting her eyes again.

"So... You wouldn't have let us drift apart?"

Sakura smiled warmly.

"No, I wouldn't have. You're too important to me, Naruto."

He smiled in relief.

"Okay... I'm so glad. Sometimes I think that I might've chosen to keep being an idiot. And it makes me think that I would have to be apart from you. That would make my life so miserable, Sakura-chan. You're the reason I want to get up in the morning, to become Hokage, to do any of this. I was barely scraping by without you."

She hugged his arm closer to her side.

"We'll never be apart, Naruto. I want to stay with you forever. We'll grow old together. Do you want me to use a jutsu to look young like Tsunade-shishou does?"

Naruto frowned thoughtfully.

"I dunno... I'd like to think that you would always be beautiful to me."

Sakura chuckled.

"Haha... Like I said before, I believe you. I'm sure now that I won't need it."

They both smiled. The pair left the lake to walk home. They went at a very slow pace. There was no need to rush as long as they were together.

/

At the Haruno residence, Mebuki and Kizashi were sitting down for dinner. Kizashi had a frustrated look on his face.

"You made way too much. I doubt Sakura will come back tonight," he said.

Mebuki frowned disapprovingly.

"Well, it's here for her if she does. She's probably just with Naruto-kun. Don't worry about it, dear."

Sakura's father put a piece of meat in his mouth and chewed it languidly before looking over at his wife.

"But we don't know when she's going to come back. Why are we not worried?"

She stared at him disbelievingly, as if he was overlooking something exceedingly obvious.

"Because Naruto-kun will take care of her."

He sighed.

"Well, I'd still like to know when she's coming back. I know she's an adult, so I can't tell her what to do. Hell, she's a million times stronger than me. But she's still my daughter, and I want to know what's going on with her."

Mebuki gave him a sharp glare.

"You're right, you can't. And it's none of our business what she does with Naruto-kun. But if it will make you feel better, I'll go look for her at his apartment tomorrow morning. Sakura once told me where it was."

Kizashi nodded tiredly.

"Okay, Mebuki. Tell her that I'll never judge her, and that this will always be her home. And find out when she's going to come back. That's all I want."

His wife only nodded.

/

Naruto and Sakura had returned to Naruto's apartment. They were resting on the couch, sitting closely enough that their sides touched. They gazed at each other with some electricity in the air.

"So, Sakura-chan... What time do you think it is?" Naruto asked.

The pinkette leaned in a little closer to him.

"I don't know... I'm guessing it's pretty late," Sakura replied.

"Well... What do you want to do tomorrow?"

She moved even closer so that their noses were almost touching.

"Naruto... I don't care about that right now."

Naruto gulped.

"Okay, Sakura-chan... You're right, it's not that important. So, what do you-"

He froze mid-sentence as Sakura wrapped both hands around the back of his head.

"Naruto... I really want you to kiss me."

His eyes moved down to her pink lips. He realized that idea sounded really good to him. He tilted his head and wrapped his hands around the back of her head gently as well.

The blonde slowly maneuvered in and kissed her, sucking intermittently on her lower lip. It made an audible pop upon being released. Sakura held his head more tightly and pressed her lips more firmly against his so that he couldn't do that. She played with his spikes of blonde hair as they continued. Their hands traveled downwards over time, but there came a point when they mutually decided that they didn't want to progress this on the couch.

When they pulled back, Naruto's hair was visibly messed up. Sakura smirked at this.

"Sakura-chan, what's so funny?"

She grinned widely.

"Nothing. Can you get my bag and meet me in your bedroom?"

He frowned at her in confusion.

"Well, okay."

Naruto went to get it. When he returned, Sakura had already gone into his room. He followed her inside and saw that she had unzipped her vest and was taking it off. His eyes widened a little.

"Uh... Are you changing into your pajamas?" he asked.

The pinkette looked up at him.

"Actually, I was thinking of something. You didn't take a shower this morning, right?"

He looked at her blankly.

"No, I guess I didn't. Why, do I not smell good?"

Sakura smiled knowingly.

"No, you smell fine. I was thinking that instead of me just changing into my pajamas, we could take a shower together. Then I could put them on afterwards. I think it would be fun. Want to take a shower with me, Naruto?"

Naruto blushed deeply thinking about it, but he didn't want to be shy around her. He loved being close to her. So he eventually settled into a serious expression.

"... Are you sure you want to, Sakura-chan?"

She only nodded. He couldn't help but picture her naked form, and he already felt like this was going to be a major issue.

"Okay... I'll... I'll go turn the water on," Naruto said.

Sakura gave him a pointed look.

"Just take your clothes off and get in. I'll meet you in there. Don't be so shy, Naruto."

She raised her right hand, opening and closing it in a coy wave. Naruto gulped and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open.

The shower was a combination shower and bathtub. It had a modest curtain that was a pale blue. He turned the water on and adjusted the temperature to a level he thought she would find pleasing. Then he hurriedly removed his clothes, abandoning them in a hasty pile. He stepped in, facing away from the door, but he didn't close the curtain. The warm water cascaded down his chest. After a minute, he heard quiet footsteps behind him. He spun a little too hurriedly.

He felt two weights on his chest. A naked Sakura was pushing him very lightly with both hands. He spaced out a little at the sight of her rosy pink nipples and pert breasts.

"Naruto, move a little to give me more room. You can look all you want later," she said.

He obeyed her command, retreating backwards a step. He felt heat gathering in his waist as he laid eyes on the narrow fissure below the familiar patch of pink hair between her legs. As she removed her hands from him and stepped in, she idly rubbed her stomach before haphazardly closing the curtain. Neither of them could see out of the enclosure that they were in.

"Sorry... It's just that your body is so beautiful, Sakura-chan," Naruto said with no small amount of awe as he looked up to meet her eyes.

She smiled widely at him as she picked up a bar of soap.

"I'm glad you like it, Naruto. Which part of it do you like the most?"

The pool of heat in his midsection was only growing.

"Uh... I'd have to say it's your pink hair..."

Sakura's eyes widened for a second. Then she chuckled.

"Haha. I guess you don't mean the hair on my head?"

It was all he could do to shake his head no. He couldn't resist looking down at the sight again. Sakura watched him carefully.

"Naruto, do you want to touch me? You can. I don't know why you're acting like you can't. I love you, so it's okay for you to touch me. I want you to be interested in me. Wouldn't you be okay with me touching you?" she queried.

Naruto looked up at her with some surprise. It would have been more if he wasn't so distracted. He didn't want to look down to see how much of an erection he had.

"Oh... I wasn't sure. Yeah... You can touch me if you want to, Sakura-chan."

She grinned.

"Okay, I'll wash you, then. And you can wash me. Or you can just touch me. I took a shower this morning, so it's fine either way."

The blonde felt much like a starving man being asked to choose between many dishes at a feast. Sakura began rubbing the soap over his upper body. After a few moments, she let out an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, for crying out loud, Naruto," she said.

She grasped his hand and pressed it between her legs. She watched his widening eyes with satisfaction before looking down to see his enlarged arousal. Her eyes widened as well. It looked significantly bigger in this light and angle.

Naruto tentatively stroked the delicate skin that was covered by her magenta-colored hair. His heart soared with excitement. Sakura looked up at his face with curiosity.

"Do you like that, Naruto?"

He didn't look up at her.

"Yeah... I guess I do..."

She moved the soap lower as she replied.

"I can tell. Go ahead, keep going. I want you to."

Naruto moved his hand to rub along her right hip and posterior, both of which were still dry. He marveled at the perfect curvature of her backside. No matter how subjective his appreciation of her body was, that part of it was beyond reproach. He hoped that she had never felt any envy towards Ino in that regard, because the blonde's behind didn't even merit the comparison. He couldn't feel a single mark or bump. It was like the pinkette's entire lower half had been sculpted out of marble.

Sakura only smirked rather than commenting. She didn't want to make fun of him.

She finally arrived at his crotch area with the bar of soap. She worked up a lather around his pubic hair and watched as the water cascaded down his muscled torso and washed the suds away. Then she decided to pay him back in earnest. She put the soap down and held his manhood between her fingers and thumb. He shuddered and his hand that was against her side involuntarily went slack.

She squeezed a little and felt how stiff he was. She realized how very aroused he must be. She understood that this might be quite cruel to him. She hadn't meant to tease him. She never wanted him to be uncomfortable. She only wanted to be open with him so that they could get used to being intimate. She decided that she was going about this the wrong way.

"Turn around, Naruto. I want to wash your back. You can touch me when I'm done," Sakura ordered.

Naruto slowly pivoted, giving his back to her without a word. She was happy that he didn't hesitate, that he trusted her implicitly. She reached out and quickly snaked her arms under his, wrapping them around his chest as she lightly pressed her weight against him.

"Naruto, try to calm down. Take a deep breath. Let me take care of you," Sakura whispered softly.

She reached down with her right hand and took hold of his length. The blonde tensed up.

"Saku-"

"Shh... Just breathe deep. Relax. Don't think about anything except me. Okay, Naruto?"

She started to slowly stroke him using a light grip. The skin around his manhood was quite flexible, so she could move easily, especially given that her hand was soapy.

"Okay..."

Naruto tried to breathe in through his nose as long as he could before releasing it.

The pinkette gripped him a little tighter as she moved her hand, but not much. She knew he would be sensitive there. Her hand was much less pliable than her insides, and that part of him was so vulnerable and precious. It was a physical embodiment of what he felt for her. She could never be rough with it. She knew that she could really hurt him if she used even half of the strength that she had, and the thought of that terrified her. She felt like that part of him deserved special attention. She felt like she was the custodian of it. So she tried to be as gentle as she could.

She began to speak in a soft, soothing voice.

"It's just me here, Naruto. It's just you and me. Just keep taking deep breaths. We're the only ones here. We're perfect. And you're all I'm thinking about too, Naruto. I just want to help you relax."

She flattened her palm against his chest and felt a rapid pounding. Then she pulled herself closer to him. As she pressed her upper body against him, she gasped as her hard nipples rubbed against the unyielding muscles of his back. Naruto visibly quivered as well.

"Oh... My poor Naruto's heart is beating so fast... I'm really sorry that I got you so worked up, Naruto. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to show you how comfortable we could be together. But I'll fix it. Just breathe for me. You don't have to worry about anything else. I'll take care of everything. Does this feel good, Naruto?" Sakura asked in a friendly way.

She moved her hand faster. Naruto couldn't help but to take a shallow breath.

"Yeah... It does..."

He tried breathing through his mouth, but it was shaky.

"That's good. You'll be able to relax soon. I can feel how excited you are, Naruto. You're really hard. I know it must have been uncomfortable for you. You should always tell me whenever there's something wrong. I promise I'll always do my best to make you feel better. It's my job to take care of you no matter what. I would never get mad at you or call you a pervert. Your love for me could never be wrong. It's the most important thing in the world to me. I want everything that comes with it. Don't you dare be ashamed of any of it. I could never leave you like this. In fact, I'm glad that you're so aroused by me. I'm glad that seeing me naked makes you so hard. Do you know why, Naruto?"

The blonde moaned softly.

"Ah... No... Why...?"

Sakura unwrapped her left arm from him and moved her hand up to the top of his head, gently flattening his partially wet hair.

"Because it means that I get to comfort you. I get to take care of you. That's my favorite thing to do, Naruto. I could stay like this forever. I love having you in my arms. I love being the one to take care of you. I'm so happy that you trust me so much. I would feel so bad if you didn't, because I want to be everything for you. Thank you for trusting me. I'll always take care of you, Naruto. Always. I promise I will never, ever hurt you..."

She punctuated each word of her last remark by kissing his upper back. Some water spilled into her mouth and she swallowed it with an audible gulp.

The sound excited Naruto for some reason that he couldn't understand. But everything else she was doing and saying had a similar effect, so he didn't think for very long about it.

"I only want to be a source of happiness for you. Because that's what you are to me. You're wonderful, Naruto. I love being so close to you. You make me feel really warm. Do you feel that way too, Naruto?" the pinkette continued.

Sakura slowed down a little as she made longer strokes with loving care, like she was looking after a priceless treasure. She was starting to have a lot of fun with this. Naruto struggled to finish his intake of air.

"Guh... Yes..."

She smiled happily as she pressed closer into him, pinning his left arm with hers. In her exuberance, it was all she could do to not completely wrap herself around him as she felt how warm he was. She wanted to share everything with him.

"I knew it. You feel so warm against me, Naruto. You're doing so good. So, so good. Hey, tell me when you're getting close."

As he felt different parts of the pinkette rubbing against him and the constant motion of her hand, Naruto found it more or less impossible to continue breathing deeply. He gave up on it, hoping that she wouldn't notice either way.

"Okay... I think I am..."

She sped up her efforts considerably in response. The sounds of colliding flesh grew louder.

"Okay. That's just fine. You don't have to hold back, Naruto. Don't worry about making a mess. It'll be easy to wash away. Don't worry about anything. It's only you and me here. No one else is going to see. Just let it go whenever you want. It's what I want you to do. Because I think you'll feel very good when you do, Naruto. It's going to make you feel so good. And I'm waiting for it too, because I know that you're thinking about me. I want to be the only one who can do this for you. I want to make you feel really good. Don't you want that, too?"

Naruto let out a shallow gasp, more from the anticipation this time than anything that she was doing.

"... Yeah..."

The pinkette smiled.

"I'm glad. I'm smiling just thinking about it. It makes me happy to be like this with you, Naruto. Because you're the one I trust. You're the one I love. If anyone else tried to get this close to me, I'd punch them as hard as I could. But with you, I feel like I can't get close enough. You make me so happy. So it's the most natural thing in the world for me to do this for you. Are you glad I'm the one making you feel good, Naruto?"

He made a vaguely affirmative sound. Sakura chuckled while continuing her ministrations ceaselessly.

"Hehe... Me too. I really want you to enjoy this. Because you deserve it, Naruto. You deserve everything that I can give you. I'm sorry that it's taking so long. Would you rather have been inside of me, Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto shuddered as he replied.

"Um... This is good... But I really loved being inside of you..."

She rubbed his chest in a reassuring circle.

"Don't worry, Naruto. We can do that later. Don't think I'm doing this because I don't want you. I do. I'd love to take you inside of me since it makes you so happy. Your smile means everything to me. I would never deny you something that you love, Naruto. We're just doing something different right now. It should still make you feel really good. And I really want you to feel good, Naruto. Are you still thinking about me?"

Naruto quickly spat out a reply.

"Yeah... It's always been you... But... Sakura... I'm..."

Sakura gripped him tighter and moved faster than she had dared to do before. The noises became much more rapid.

"Shh... It's okay. You must be so close. Let go. You did so good, my Naruto. You don't need to hold on any longer. It's going to feel wonderful, Naruto. Please let go for me. You're almost there. Please, Naruto. Please, do it for me."

A moment later, the blonde cried out violently. It actually sounded like he was in pain. It reminded Sakura of a time when Sasuke had accidentally hit him in the shoulder with a thrown kunai during training. She remembered it well, because it was one of a very few instances when Sasuke had apologized for something.

She felt his weight shift as his knees buckled. She urgently clamped her left arm tightly around him while supporting his weight with her own so that he wouldn't fall backwards. Thick ropes of milky liquid were splattering against the shower curtain. She listened in awe to his quick and shallow breaths.

Sakura was amazed that she could have such a powerful effect on him. He would've certainly fallen without her support. She was glad to have another opportunity to be the one to keep him on his feet. That was the role in life that had brought her the most satisfaction.

She began to slow her ministrations as more and more white fluid was expelled. When he became still, she released his member and moved her hand into the flow of water, washing away the residue. Then she gently held his shoulders with both hands and turned him around, looking him in the eyes with a kind smile.

"There... Don't you feel better now?" Sakura asked.

His eyes were glazed over but vaguely trained on her face.

"Yeah... I really do... Thank you, Sakura-chan..."

She laughed joyously and wrapped her arms around his torso and the back of his head, pulling him into a close embrace. She could feel his halfway turgid member settle against her nest of rose-colored hair.

"Haha... I'm so happy... Now I can hug you properly without that part of you getting in the way... Oh, Naruto..."

Naruto returned her embrace out of practiced habit. He was a bit disoriented still. Sakura's voice was quavering with emotion.

"This was what I wanted... It's just you and me... I love it when it's just you and me... I love you, Naruto," she said.

The water was still pouring down as hot as ever. Sakura suddenly shivered. She realized her back had grown cold. Naruto felt her shiver and gently picked her up, rotating their positions so that she would be in front of the stream.

"I love you too, Sakura-chan... I really do. Not because of anything like this. I just love who you are. You're the most beautiful and caring person in the world."

The pinkette arched her back to cover it in the warm water. Then she began to plant light kisses on the side of his face intermittently as she spoke.

"I'm glad, Naruto. So glad. Always stay with me. I never want you to go away. You're all mine... You're my Naruto... My Naruto..."

She rested her head against his and softly swayed, quietly enjoying the warmth that was covering her from all sides.

/

They eventually parted, each taking up a bar of soap and washing each other with gusto. When they had finished, they both felt very relaxed as they walked into the bedroom. Sakura retrieved her pajamas from her bag and put them on, putting her previous outfit and undergarments back inside. Naruto just pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms that was similar to those he had worn in the past. The pinkette dropped her bag at the foot of the bed and looked up at him.

"Let's go to bed, Naruto. I'm tired," Sakura said.

Naruto nodded and smiled. He waited for her to lie down before laying down next to her and pulling the sheet over both of them. Sakura turned over on her side and gazed at him lovingly.

"Naruto, will you hold me until I fall asleep?" she asked tentatively.

The blonde's eyes widened for a moment. He smiled dreamily at her.

"Of course, Sakura-chan. I love holding you. You're so soft," Naruto replied.

Sakura quickly scooted closer to him and wrapped both arms around him. He put an arm around her and pulled her to him reassuringly.

"Thanks, Naruto..."

She closed her eyes and quickly drifted off, breathing slowly and rhythmically. Naruto gazed up at the ceiling. He thought about how lucky he was to have her care for him so much. He really felt like she treated him far better than he deserved. She always thought about him no matter what the situation was. He sighed and closed his eyes. He felt himself drifting off to sleep.

/

Naruto found himself awake a few hours later. He opened his eyes to see that it was still pitch black outside. He could hear a light rainfall. He realized that the weather must have woken him up. He had been a light sleeper since his time training with the toads. He remembered Sakura's presence as he felt her weight resting on him. He turned his head to look at her. She had a peaceful smile on her face and her breathing was very quiet, almost inaudible. The curves of her sleeping form were apparent even under the sheet. Naruto thought back to what they had shared earlier as he watched her chest rise and fall under the thin covering. A dark craving grew within him and he felt himself harden.

He knew he could ask for more from her. She had told him she wouldn't refuse him. His heart beat faster as he imagined how easy it would be to get what he wanted. He would only have to reach out to her and kiss her soft lips. Then her pretty emerald eyes would flutter open. She would give him a loving smile and whisper his name as she wrapped her arms more tightly around him. Then she would pull herself closer to him so that she could kiss him tenderly in return. As a result, she would inevitably feel his arousal poking her. This would cause her to react in her usual way. She would want to soothe him. She would come to feel an inexorable need to take him into her warmth. So she would shyly strip off her pajamas that adorably matched her hair. And then, with encouraging whispers and touches so that he wouldn't feel guilty, she would quickly spread open her core and guide him inside of it. Her welcoming heat would wrap around him tightly. He would feel waves of pleasure as he thrust into her willing body. She would quiver and jolt around his length almost helplessly. He could run his hands over the supple flesh of her toned backside, her pleasantly wide hips, and the soft, pale peaks of her bosom. He would get to enjoy her to his heart's content. He would hear her forceful cries which had made him feel so good about himself. They had validated him. They meant that her heart belonged to him alone. They meant that she only wanted him. He desperately wanted to hear them again. They had made every hardship that he had experienced feel distant and insignificant.

Because she cared for him so deeply, she would accept him. Gently, violently, it didn't matter. That was up to him. She never dictated anything to him. She hadn't asked him to treat her a certain way. She trusted him, and she wanted him to do what felt natural to him. She wasn't concerned with herself. She never had been. Her consent would be based on her need for him to be happy, and this was a directive that was absolute. So she would never deny him access to the warm cavity adorned by her roseate strands, not when it could bring him so much comfort. She was willing to writhe on the end of his arousal for the sake of his happiness. Now that he understood that, he found himself tempted.

Even though he would be taking advantage of her care for him, Sakura would never see it that way. She would never think badly of him for it. That was simply the way she was with him. Anything he needed, or even merely wanted, was so very important to her. He didn't know if she had the same lust for him that he did for her, but he sincerely doubted it. That aspect had always seemed secondary to her. He knew she would be very content simply holding him as they had done. But she was observant, and she knew when he wanted her. And she would no sooner ignore his desires than she would ignore him being injured. It wasn't hard to see how this dynamic worked in his favor.

The way she felt about him was entirely unique. There was a time when she had strong feelings for both him and Sasuke. Then they had gone on that journey together, and the result was that he became the recipient of what she had felt for Sasuke on top of the significant feelings that she already had for him. As she had said, he was everything to her. And this was later compounded by her feelings of guilt. His needs became more important than any other desire or dream that she had. To say that she loved him was actually an understatement. So she wouldn't voice a word of complaint even in the rare case that she had one.

The pinkette stirred in her sleep and snuggled closer to him, causing the bedsheet to fall down past her shoulders. As she hadn't bothered to put her bra back on, most of her left breast was visible. She looked so exposed and vulnerable. Naruto thought about how angry he would be if someone else saw her like this. He would fly into a rage, and the bastard who thought he could perv on her would find himself quickly regretting his actions. But he wanted to take much more than a look. He sighed and pulled the sheet up over her. He had already seen it all. Not that he didn't want to see it again, but it only illustrated how much she dropped her guard around him. He had become her weakness, which would have been fine if he didn't want so badly to exploit it.

He knew she was ready to offer up her body as a source of relief for him. She had said she enjoyed it too, but he was sure that wasn't her motivation. It was all about him. And she was certainly not the type to be that way normally. She was a proud and intelligent woman much like his mother had been. And as a kunoichi, she could defeat almost any male ninja in an even fight as Tsunade could. She had no reason to yield to a man. So she would have established boundaries which would only be taken down when she wanted to go further for her own desires, not those of whoever she was with. But for him, she gave of everything that she had to give, asking for nothing in return.

It seemed wrong that someone as amazing as Sakura would offer him so freely something that was that intimate and personal. He wanted to say that he had lowered her, that he had shamed or disgraced her somehow. But she would be deeply hurt if he ever said such a thing, because his happiness was more important to her than her own life. She wanted so badly to secure that happiness for him. So to deny a simple physical act, one that wouldn't even hurt her, would feel like a massive betrayal of him and of herself.

This all meant that he could get what he wanted and the pinkette would never hold it against him. He needed only to rouse her and his euphoria would in fact be inevitable. She would insist on it, leaving his conscience technically clear. She would encourage him to pound into her over and over again until he found blissful release. He would be in ecstasy listening to her throaty cries. It would be so unbelievably pleasing for him. He would be fully satisfied and validated in every way. He would want for nothing.

But she had been so happy to spend time with him. She had freed herself from the stress that had been plaguing her. And now, she was sleeping peacefully. She had made it clear how badly she wanted to simply be held by him. She had taken care of his arousal because it interfered with that, not because of any desire that she may have had. So he didn't think he could disturb her contented sleep. That would be incredibly selfish. Naruto had never been able to be selfish when it came to her before. He knew that if he chose to wake her, there would be no going back. It would forever change him.

Because it ran counter to everything that was fundamental to who he was. It scared him how much he wanted to. He had always protected her because he treasured her. She was so soft and gentle. To use such a person to serve his base desires would be beyond the pale. She meant much more to him than a warm body that felt pleasing against his own. So he would always look out for her needs even if she wouldn't. He would always make sure that she could be happy.

The blonde finally closed his eyes.

He knew he didn't have to worry about his own happiness. Sakura would do that for him.


	14. The Covetous Star

When Naruto woke up, he could see sunlight shining against his eyelids. He felt a hand on his shoulder and heard a soft voice as he opened his eyes.

"Naruto?"

He turned to look and saw Sakura standing by the side of the bed, still wearing her pajamas. She watched him with concern.

"Sorry for waking you up. It's just that there's someone at the door. I didn't think I should answer it," the pinkette explained.

As if on cue, he heard a rapping on the front door. Naruto sighed before getting out of bed and pulling on a shirt.

"Okay, I'll be back, Sakura-chan."

The visitor knocked again. Sakura smiled nervously at Naruto and sat on the side of the bed.

The blonde hurried to the door and opened it. His eyes widened when he saw that it was Haruno Mebuki. The older pinkette gave him a friendly smile.

"Hi, Naruto-kun. I was wondering if I could speak to Sakura. She's here, right?" she asked.

Naruto gulped. Sakura had never actually explained what went on with her and her parents. But lying to Mebuki was out of the question. He grinned nervously.

"Uh... Yeah. Would you like to come in, Haruno-san?"

She frowned lightly at him.

"I told you to call me Mebuki," She then smiled warmly in a similar way to how Sakura did. Naruto gaped a little at this. "But of course I would! Thank you, Naruto-kun."

The woman walked in and sat down on the couch, resting her arm on the armrest. Naruto closed the door and watched her awkwardly. She glanced over at him, her expression still pleasant.

"I'll just wait here," she said quietly.

Naruto nodded and went back into the bedroom. Sakura was in the same position on the bed, looking down in thought. She looked up at him when he entered.

"Sakura-chan, it's your mom. She wants to talk to you."

Her eyes widened.

"Oh. That's fine, I guess," Sakura replied.

The pinkette went into the bathroom and checked herself in the mirror before walking into the living room. Naruto followed her.

Mebuki stood up to greet the two of them. Sakura didn't quite meet her eyes. One of her hands gripped her elbow anxiously.

"Hi, Sakura dear. Kizashi was worried about you, so I decided to come here. I hope I didn't interrupt anything," Sakura's mother said.

Sakura looked down gloomily.

"Oh... Okay... I guess I'll come back home... But I was hoping to spend time with Naruto today... Is that alright?"

Naruto was watching the exchange with concern. Mebuki gave her daughter a sympathetic look.

"It's fine. You can spend as much time with Naruto-kun as you want. I really like him. I wasn't worried at all. But you should at least check in so that your father doesn't drive me up the wall."

Sakura looked up at her mother.

"Okay, mom. I'll come back tonight."

Mebuki walked up to her and gave her a hug which she didn't return. Naruto politely walked into the kitchen to give them privacy.

"I said it's fine. You can stay here as much as you want. He just wanted to know when you're going to come home. He's not mad at you."

"But I don't want to leave Naruto... I need him..."

Mebuki rubbed her back soothingly. Sakura finally returned the embrace.

"I know, dear. I know. Maybe you don't have to. I thought you might feel this way. We'll talk about it. I know that Kizashi does like him. He just wasn't ready for you to grow up so fast. It's a shock to him."

Sakura nodded. She still looked a little worried.

"Okay..."

Her mother pulled back and smiled at her.

"That's all. I'll see you tonight. Bye, Sakura dear."

Sakura smiled weakly back.

"Bye, mom."

As Mebuki was walking out, she caught Naruto's attention and waved at him.

"Bye, Naruto-kun. I know you'll take good care of our Sakura."

Naruto nodded sharply.

"I will. Goodbye, Mebuki-san."

Sakura's mother opened the door and walked out, closing it behind her. Naruto walked into the living room and looked at Sakura, who was staring at the carpet.

"Sakura-chan?" he prodded.

He found himself the target of a pink missile. The ordnance latched on to him tightly. He put his arms around her immediately, very used to this by now.

"Naruto... I can always stay with you, right? If I want to?" Sakura asked.

"Of course... But, Sakura-chan, your parents aren't mad at you, right? What's the problem?"

She gripped more tightly to him.

"It's not them, Naruto... I don't want to be away from you. I just don't know what to do without you. I know I said that I'd stop acting so weak... And I'm trying... But I really feel like I need to be able to see you every day."

Naruto looked down at her with concern.

"Sakura-chan, I want to see you every day too, but we're both pretty busy. We might not always be able to."

He put a hand on her pink head and started flattening her hair comfortingly. Sakura leaned into his hand.

"Well... There is one way... Ino suggested it to me."

The blonde watched her curiously as he continued his ministrations. Her eyes were wide and soft as she looked up at him.

"I could come live here with you, Naruto. What do you think?" she asked tentatively.

His hand froze. Naruto ran through a few different emotions in a few seconds.

The first was shock. He couldn't believe she wanted to live in this crappy apartment with him. Everything would be so much easier for her living with her parents. She had meals, her own bathroom, and he was sure that both of them were always around to help her. His apartment was small and all he had was ramen and a single bathroom. The only thing she didn't have at her parents' home was him.

Then he felt elation. Sakura wanted to live with him. She didn't care about the loss of amenities, she only wanted him. He would get to see her smile every morning. He could spend time with her every day. He would be able to sleep in the same bed with her every night. He'd always be able to sleep with her warm body next to his.

He finally felt a sinking feeling of dread. There was no way that he would be able to resist her if she was always there. The more nights he spent curled up to her, the greater the temptation would become. Surely her heart would shatter when she realized how twisted his once selfless love was becoming, when she understood that he would only be happy if she gave herself to him. She would end up feeling like a piece of meat as he took advantage of her need for comfort and her earnest desire to make him happy.

The sad truth was that no amount of her kindness and love would have satisfied him earlier. All he had wanted to do was penetrate her until she cried out desperately. He knew he would eventually indulge himself no matter how bad it would make him feel afterwards. He had known that she was vulnerable because of how much she needed him, but the lust burned inside him all the same.

He knew he would feel like the worst kind of scum when he took her heartfelt care and callously exploited it so that he could satisfy himself with her body. After this became clear to the pinkette, she would come to understand that he wasn't as great of a person as she thought he was. She would feel used and dirty. Nothing would be the same. She would probably still love him, but it would be a love that brought her misery, just as it had with Sasuke. She would eventually stop showing him warmth and affection. She would never look at him the same way. He'd never see her warm smile again. He would ruin everything.

Naruto felt like he had to talk her out of it. He gave her a troubled look.

"But, Sakura-chan... They're your parents. I'm always going to be here. You shouldn't rush into this."

She looked at him imploringly.

"Naruto... It's what I want to do. I would still see them. I would visit them all the time. Even if I didn't, I can live with not seeing them for a little while. I can't live without you, Naruto. You're the only one who makes me feel safe and happy. Please, Naruto?"

The blonde looked away so as to not let her see his pained expression. He wondered how long she would keep feeling safe and happy around him.

"I just... I don't think you should do this right away. I think you should think about it."

Sakura frowned. She pulled away from him and crossed her arms, looking at him inquisitively.

"Naruto... I'm surprised. I thought this would make you happy. Why don't you want me to?"

He looked at her with an awkward smile.

"I do... I think it would be great. I just don't want you to make a hasty decision. Don't you think you should take some time to think about it more?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Naruto, I've been thinking about it a lot. It just hasn't been a good time to bring it up until now. Trust me, I've been wanting to do this for a while. So since you also want me to, what's the problem?"

He couldn't help but look at her with alarm, which she noticed.

"But..."

He trailed off. The pinkette looked down sadly.

"Naruto... Can't you just tell me what's wrong? You know how I feel about you, and I love staying here. What's the real reason you're hesitant? Are you having second thoughts about me...?"

Her lip was quivering. It had been so hard to put words to that. She really hoped that it wasn't the case. She felt like she wouldn't survive if it was.

The horrified Naruto held up both his hands in a placating gesture.

"No! I love you, Sakura-chan. I really do. Never doubt that I do. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I gave you that idea."

Sakura looked up at him with an intent gaze.

"Then I don't get it, Naruto. You said that you always wanted to live with me. So why shouldn't we live together?"

He sighed. His posture slouched as his arms fell and hung limply at his sides.

"I mean... Do you really want to live in this apartment with me? It's not that great to live in. It's not worthy of you, Sakura-chan."

She gave him a puzzled look.

"Naruto, I don't care. It's like how you said you don't really do anything here but sleep and eat. It's the same at my parents' home. I like eating dinner with them, but that's all I would miss out on. In exchange, I would get to sleep next to you..." She smiled softly. "I fall asleep so easily when you're there, Naruto. It's wonderful. And then when I wake up, I'm so happy to see you. I can hug you right away. I just want that so much, Naruto. Can't I have it?"

Naruto realized that he wasn't going to be able to convince her. He had to either tell her she couldn't, in which case she would demand to know why not, or he could simply agree. If he agreed, then she would move in with him and what he feared would likely come to pass. But it would at least be some time until he ruined everything.

He smiled sheepishly at her.

"Okay, I guess. You should talk to your parents about it first, though. I'd feel better about it if they accepted it."

Sakura grinned widely and embraced him gleefully.

"Thank you! I'm so happy, Naruto. You'll be happy too, I know it. I can't wait. It's going to be great, Naruto. You'll see."

As she kissed him on the cheek, Naruto felt the same sinking feeling in his gut.

/

They ate breakfast together before departing. Sakura noticed that Naruto seemed a little distracted, but she was so happy that she had finally asked him and that he had agreed that it didn't bother her. They went to the Hokage office together.

After greeting Shizune, they entered and Kakashi looked up at them with an eye-smile.

"Ah, it's the golden couple. How are you two?"

Sakura uncharacteristically gave Kakashi a warm smile. Naruto seemed unusually reserved.

"We're doing great. How are you, Sensei?"

"Fine... I have some news for Naruto. One of the Genin teams for the upcoming exam that we're hosting here had a member drop out. I was thinking that he could take their place. I was going to promote him anyway, but most of the council seems to think that it would be good publicity for Konoha if he participated, even though it would be no challenge for him."

Naruto frowned lightly. He couldn't care less about his rank right now.

Sakura looked over at him.

"Really? That's great, Naruto. It's ridiculous that you're still a Genin."

"Uh, yeah... I guess I'll do that, Sensei. If it's what's expected of me," Naruto said.

Kakashi nodded.

"Okay. It's in two weeks. You should meet your team before then. I'll let you know as soon as I arrange it. Make sure not to kill any of the little Genin accidentally," Kakashi warned.

The blonde nodded back.

"Sure, Sensei. Can I start studying now? Sakura-chan wants to help me."

Kakashi pointedly handed a folder full of documents across the desk, which Naruto took. Sakura accompanied him to a table in the corner and helped him study for the next few hours.

/

Team 8 had scheduled a training for today. Kiba and Shino were waiting in the training field alongside Akamaru for Hinata to arrive.

Kiba was worried that she'd still be angry with him. Even if she never returned his feelings, he didn't think he could bear her disliking him. Even if she would always care more about Naruto than him, he needed to at least be her friend. He knew he would feel even more pathetic if he ruined their friendship over his unrequited feelings that Hinata didn't ask for.

After a few minutes, the blue-haired girl finally arrived. She walked up to them with more self-assurance than usual.

"Hello, Shino," she said pleasantly. She looked over at Kiba. "Kiba."

Shino nodded.

Kiba looked downtrodden. She had greeted Shino before him. He wondered if that meant something.

"Greetings, Hinata. How do you fare?" the bug ninja asked.

Hinata smiled politely.

"I'm fine. Let's start training right away. I'm feeling motivated today."

They both gave her a strange look. The three of them began practicing their taijutsu and combinations. After a while, Kiba pulled Hinata to the side. She watched him with a raised eyebrow.

"Hinata, I've been meaning to talk to you. Are you still angry at me?" the Inuzuka asked.

Hinata looked at him confusedly before shaking her head.

"No, why would I be?"

Kiba raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

"Because of what I told you about Naruto...?"

The Hyuga girl winced.

"No... I'm not angry at you for that, Kiba... But please don't talk about Naruto-kun."

Kiba's expression became almost as pained as hers had been. Frustration boiled under the surface. Of course she still loved that blonde bastard. He would be an idiot to expect anything different.

"Fine, Hinata. Sorry for bothering you. Let's go back to training."

Hinata nodded and did so. Kiba followed her after a moment.

/

After they finished their work in the Hokage office, Naruto and Sakura were walking around the village. It was late in the afternoon. They had been discussing the prospect of living together.

"So, I'll ask my parents what they think about it over dinner. I'll come over tomorrow and tell you how it went. Okay, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Naruto nodded and smiled.

"Sure, Sakura-chan," he replied.

He quickly looked away. He seemed terribly distracted. The pinkette's eye twitched.

She inspected him carefully. She wondered what was eating him. He had been reluctant to agree. She thought he was just worrying about her like he always did, but there had been something off about him all day.

She finally stepped in front of Naruto with a frustrated expression. He froze in his tracks.

"Okay, Naruto, what the hell? I'm starting to feel like you don't really want me to move in with you. You've been acting weird ever since I brought it up. There's something wrong that you're not telling me. I thought we trusted each other with everything, Naruto. I'm really hurt that you don't feel like you can tell me," she said.

Naruto had been watching her with wide eyes. He sighed and looked down at his shoes.

"Sakura-chan, you're right. I should tell you. But I really don't know how to. It might change the way you feel about me."

The pinkette's expression and tone of voice softened considerably.

"Nothing could change the way I feel about you, Naruto. You could tell me anything and I'd still love you. I told you that even if you hated me, I'd still love you. But it can't be that you hate me. So I don't understand. We've been having a wonderful time together. I don't see why you wouldn't want it to continue. Please, just tell me. I promise I'll forgive you no matter what it is, Naruto."

He looked up at her seriously.

"Sakura-chan, I promise I'll tell you. Just give me time to find the right words. I'll tell you tomorrow, okay? I promise."

Sakura nodded reluctantly.

"Okay... But I'm sure you're just worrying over nothing. I can't imagine what could possibly be that bad, Naruto."

He frowned sadly.

"Maybe I am... But it doesn't have to do with you, Sakura-chan. You're always amazing. It's me. I'm the one who..."

Her face grew pained and she interrupted him.

"No, Naruto, you're wrong. I'm the one who's wretched. You're the amazing one. I did horrible things to you in the past. It doesn't matter what you're worried about. It couldn't be as bad as what I did to you, Naruto."

Naruto looked at her imploringly.

"Sakura-chan, I told you to forget about that. It doesn't bother me."

The pinkette gave him a desperate look.

"But, Naruto... How can I, when you're being hurt by whatever this is? If you're feeling bad about something and you can't let it go, I don't feel like I deserve to be happy after what I did either."

His eyes widened.

"I guess you're right... But this is different, Sakura-chan. Just give me some time. I'll tell you when I see you tomorrow."

Sakura smiled weakly.

"Okay, I guess... As long as you tell me. I don't want anything hurting you."

Naruto sighed.

"Don't worry, I will."

She wrapped her arm around him and leaned on him as they walked.

"You'd better."

/

They eventually made their way to Sakura's parents' house. The sun was setting. Sakura turned to Naruto and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Next time, you can eat with us. You should become part of the family. But for now, I think I should talk to them about it alone," she said.

The blonde nodded.

"Okay, Sakura-chan. That makes sense," he replied.

She smiled warmly at him for a few seconds while he watched her curiously. Then she pulled him into a passionate kiss which Naruto returned after a moment. When she pulled back, she was grinning.

"That felt really good, Naruto. Sorry, it's just that I know I'm going to have to be by myself tonight. I wanted to get my fill of you."

Naruto grinned sheepishly back at her.

"That's okay, Sakura-chan. You can do that whenever you want. I really like it when you do. I love you."

"I love you too, Naruto. See you tomorrow."

With a wave, she entered the house. Naruto stared at the door for a while.

He enjoyed kissing her, he always had, but it always seemed like Sakura was satisfied with as much or as little as he wanted to do, while he would inevitably want everything. He sighed deeply. It would be so much simpler if she just cared about him a little less. Enough to push him away. Then this wouldn't be a problem. He could never force himself on her. But she was too beautiful for him to resist that which was willingly offered.

A light drizzle began to fall as the sun set below the horizon. He made his way quickly towards his apartment.

/

As Naruto was hurrying to get home, he quite literally ran into Rock Lee. They both fell on the ground. Naruto got up first and shook his head. He extended a hand to help Lee to his feet. The stunned martial artist blinked a few times as he gazed at Naruto's extended hand.

"Sorry, Lee. I should've paid attention to where I was going," Naruto said apologetically.

Lee grasped his hand and quickly got into a standing position.

"That is most alright, Naruto! You have quite an impressive physique. I feel like I collided with a wall made out of iron! You should be proud of your youthful training," Lee said exuberantly.

Naruto shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess I am... Well, I've got to get home. See you later, Lee."

Lee reached out his hand to Naruto as he turned to walk away.

"Naruto, wait!"

Naruto stopped and looked at him curiously.

"I have to apologize to you. I should never have said what I did."

The blonde frowned confusedly.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about, Lee."

Lee straightened up and stood even taller.

"About Sakura-san... I never should have said that back then! It was cowardly! I was... jealous. Please forgive me, Naruto!"

After a long pause, Naruto finally realized what Lee must be referring to. The green clad ninja was waiting eagerly for a response. Naruto sighed and spoke up.

"It's fine... I don't even remember exactly what you said. If anything, you should apologize to Sakura-chan. She was never that kind of person. She was always amazing."

Lee nodded enthusiastically.

"Very well, Naruto! I shall."

"Well, see you later, Lee."

Naruto raised a hand in an awkward wave. He turned and walked quickly away. Lee began doing stretches in the middle of the rainy street.

"Farewell, Naruto! My youth may protect me from feeling jealous, but I still believe you to be very fortunate! Naruto!"

The blonde had already disappeared behind a corner.


	15. Chasing Happiness

As Sakura walked into her home, she saw both her parents standing in the kitchen, clearly involved in a conversation. Rice was boiling on the stove. They both turned to look at the younger pinkette. Her father's eyes widened.

"Sakura...! You came back..." he said breathlessly.

Sakura smiled nervously at him.

"Hi, dad," she replied.

The man walked up to her and slowly pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry..."

Sakura chuckled as she returned the embrace.

"Haha... Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong, dad. I was just acting crazy..."

Kizashi pulled back and held her by the shoulders, giving her a serious stare.

"I'm sorry anyway! You're my daughter. It's your right to act crazy whenever you want."

Sakura laughed again. His conviction reminded her of Naruto. Mebuki was observing the exchange with a smile.

"Haha, I'm glad... Since I can't seem to keep it together anymore... It's a good thing I'm at least allowed..."

Her mother took a step closer to them and stood up while Kizashi lowered his hands.

"You'll always be our child, Sakura dear. We'll never judge you. If you're upset, we know you have a good reason. I hope you still feel like you can talk to us, even though you're so grown up now," the older pinkette said.

Sakura's eyes were starting to water a little.

"Of course... I love you guys..."

It wasn't long until all three Harunos were a bit misty-eyed.

"Well, I made extra food for you. I have my doubts that Naruto-kun knows how to cook anything."

Sakura smiled and nodded. Her mother wasn't wrong.

"That sounds great."

The three had dinner at the table. Sakura had eaten quite ravenously by her standards. They had avoided talking about her and Naruto, knowing that the subject was sensitive for her and that she'd talk about it when she was ready.

The pinkette wasn't sure how to bring it up. She decided that it would be best to try to explain how she felt. She cleared her throat and both parents turned to look at her. The expression on her face was quite unsure.

"Well, I feel like I should explain myself..." the pinkette said cautiously.

Kizashi's eyebrows raised in alarm.

"No, Sakura, you don't have to. If it's going to upset you, then I don't need to hear it. It's not that important that I know," her father said imploringly.

Sakura shook her head, her expression serious.

"But I need to. I need you to understand how I feel, because so few people do, and I feel alone. I need the people I love to understand."

Her father's face fell. He finally gave her a sympathetic gaze.

"Okay... I know I haven't always been great at that... I promise to do my best."

The younger pinkette smiled awkwardly at him.

Mebuki watched carefully. In many ways, Sakura was so much like her.

"Thank you... Well, I've always been really close to Naruto. It hasn't always been romantic, but we were each other's most important person. I would have done anything to protect Naruto from being hurt, even if it meant I would be hurt instead. And Naruto felt the same way about me," Sakura looked down at the crumbs on her plate. "Some time after the war ended, Naruto said that he was in love with me. That was a crisis for me, because I knew he would be hurt terribly if I didn't return his feelings. So I told him that I would. But Naruto wouldn't accept that. He thought I would have rather been with Sasuke-kun. So we left Konoha to find Sasuke-kun. He wanted me to see him again to make sure that I wouldn't rather be with him. That was what Naruto always did. He always tried to make sure I would be happy."

Sakura smiled at the happy memory.

"The more time we travelled together, the more I loved him. We reminisced, and I really think that in a way, I always loved him. Because even just a few months after we became a team, I was already at the point where I couldn't bear to let him be hurt. I've always felt that way. I would rather die than hurt Naruto," she continued.

Mebuki smiled while Kizashi watched his daughter tentatively.

"So when we came back, we were together. And we were so happy. We weren't in any rush to get closer. I was happy when I would see him, and when we were apart, I'd smile thinking about him. We were just happy spending time together. But that changed," Sakura's pained eyes shifted to one side. "The second time I slept over at his apartment, it was hot, so I made him take his shirt off. He had a scar. That scar was from a wound that should have killed him. A wound that would have killed him, if he wasn't the jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Sasuke-kun gave him that wound in a fight years ago. A fight which took place because Naruto was trying to bring Sasuke-kun back to the village when he didn't want to come back. And... I asked him to do that for me."

She raised her head to look at her parents. They flinched at how dark her expression was.

"So I learned that I was a hypocrite. Because I'm in love with him. I'd give my own life to save his, but I nearly got him killed. I wouldn't know what to do if he wasn't a part of my life anymore, and he very nearly wasn't because of my childish selfishness. And now, I don't feel like I can be away from him. I need to see him smiling at me. If he's not there, I get a sinking feeling. I become afraid that he'll realize how horrible I am and never want to see me again. And I'll lose my most precious person," Sakura finished.

Kizashi just gaped at her. After a moment, Mebuki gave her a tender look.

"But, Sakura dear, I'm sure Naruto-kun doesn't hold it against you," she said.

Sakura looked at her mother sadly.

"I know he doesn't, and that makes me feel even worse. Because I'll never be able to make it up to him, no matter what I do..."

Kizashi finally spoke up calmly.

"Well, I understand why you were upset before. I can see why, after that happened, you don't feel like you can worry about your own feelings when it comes to him. But I'm still worried about them, Sakura. Even if Naruto loves you, I still feel like you're being hurt over this. It's not right that you're putting yourself through so much suffering over this mistake you made when you were barely a teenager," he stated.

Sakura turned to look at him nervously.

"I know. Naruto feels the same way. But I don't know what I can do about it other than spending as much time around Naruto as I can."

The Haruno man raised an eyebrow.

"You don't mean...?"

Sakura nodded, her expression very cautious.

"Yes... I was planning on moving in with him."

Her father's eyes widened in shock. Mebuki was entirely unsurprised, but not indifferent. She watched her husband carefully.

"But... Sakura... I know I can't tell you what to do, you're grown up. But I don't think that's a good idea. Isn't it way too soon? Couldn't this make your problems worse?"

Sakura sighed deeply. Her visage grew serious.

"Dad, I'm willing to try anything. I can't deal with this stress and pain anymore. I know that if I'm with him, I'll be able to be at peace. I'll be happy. I know you're going to hate it, but I have to do this for myself. I feel like I'm falling apart. Please don't make me choose between you and him, because I would choose him. I'm sorry."

Kizashi sighed as well. Mebuki had told him trying to convince her would be useless. He realized that by the time this had become a serious issue, it was already too late for him to do anything about it. He wondered if he failed somehow as her father.

He returned her serious gaze.

"I won't... I still think it's too soon... But I can't stop you, and I don't even think I want to. Just, please, make absolutely sure that you don't get hurt even more. That's all I ask."

Sakura's expression softened at the care that her father had for her.

"I'm sure that this will make me happy, dad. Naruto always cares for me. He won't let me be hurt as long as he's around. Hopefully one day, I won't feel like this anymore. But for now, this is all I can do."

Kizashi smiled nostalgically.

"It's going to be strange not having you living here anymore. I hope you'll come to visit us. This will always be your home."

Sakura nodded, smiling widely.

"Of course. I'll come visit all the time. Is it okay if I bring Naruto?"

Kizashi frowned before he could stop himself. Mebuki smiled amusedly at this. He sighed after a moment.

"I guess. There are things I have to tell him if he's going to be our son in law. He is going to be our son in law, right?"

Sakura's eyes widened a little, shifting up and to the left. They met her father's again and she grinned nervously.

"Uh, we haven't really talked about it that much... He's said that he always wanted to marry me, though."

Kizashi's eyes narrowed.

"I'll have to ask him about that myself..."

Mebuki turned to him with a glare.

"You'd better not intimidate Naruto-kun. He's such a sweet boy, always taking care of our Sakura," she said. She turned to look at Sakura. "Sakura dear, you tell him he can come over whenever he wants."

Sakura nodded.

"Okay... I might have him come over to help me move my things. He can carry an almost unlimited amount of things with his jutsu," she replied.

Kizashi crossed his arms and pouted a little.

"I know he's an amazing ninja... That along with everything else you've told me means that playing the protective father is useless... But I wanted to do it anyway... Is that so wrong?"

Both Haruno women stared blankly at him. After a moment, they started giggling.

/

Sakura had been lying in her bed for about an hour, tossing and turning as she tried to get to sleep. She couldn't stop wondering why Naruto had been so hesitant. She knew he might not need her as much as she needed him, but she knew for a fact that he loved being around her. No matter what they did, he was always happy to spend time with her. So she couldn't understand why he didn't want to increase the amount of time they spent together.

She thought perhaps she had been too forward with him in the shower. It was possible that he wasn't comfortable being that intimate with her yet. But she was willing to be patient if that was what he wanted. All she wanted was to be able to hold him as she fell asleep. She sorely missed being able to do that now.

The pinkette wrapped the pillow around her head in frustration, keeping her eyes shut. Eventually, her mind stopped racing, but it was a long while until she drifted off to sleep.

The next thing she knew, she was lying in the bed in Naruto's room. The other half of the bed was empty. She sat up and looked around, seeing a dressed Naruto pulling his jacket on as he was walking out.

"Naruto, where are you going?" the pinkette asked.

He turned to look at her dismissively.

"Out," he replied.

Sakura frowned.

"Well, wait a second. I'll come with you."

The blonde shook his head.

"No, you shouldn't. People might get the idea that we're actually together."

She gaped at him.

"What are you talking about, Naruto...? We are."

Naruto smirked cruelly at her. It was a look she had never seen on his face before.

"You actually thought I wanted to be with someone like you? After everything you did to me? Think again."

Her vision started to blur.

"But... You said it didn't matter to you... You said you loved me..."

He looked at her with disdain.

"I don't think I could ever love someone like you. But I've always lusted after you. I wanted to know what it would be like. It was good, but I'm getting tired of you now. Don't make a mess of the place on your way out, Haruno."

Naruto walked out of the room. Sakura was in shock. She couldn't believe that he could be so cruel. He wouldn't act like this, even if he really didn't want to be with her anymore. Something had to be wrong with him.

She quickly stood up off the bed.

"Naruto... Wait!"

She ran out into the living room, but found that Naruto was already gone. She heard laughter.

"Don't try to follow me, Haruno. You're not worthy of being in my presence. You're just trash."

The pinkette rushed outside. Sasuke was standing in the middle of the street flanked by Hinata and Ino. Ino was hanging off his left arm.

"Sasuke-kun...?" Sakura whispered disbelievingly.

The three of them turned to look at her. Ino had a vicious smile on her face.

"Oh, Forehead... You'd better not think you can have Sasuke-kun now that Naruto doesn't want you anymore. There's no chance of that. Sasuke-kun doesn't want anyone's leftovers. He's perfectly happy with me," Ino said.

Sasuke remained impassive. Hinata gave her a harsh glare.

"Naruto-kun told me what you did to him. How could you make him risk his life? You're sick, Sakura-san. You'd better stay away from him from now on. I'll take good care of him, since you clearly never did," she spat.

Sakura fell to her knees and screamed.

The next thing she knew, she was lying on her bed in her parents' home again. Light was streaming in through the window. She couldn't believe it'd gotten to the point where she was having nightmares. She couldn't wait until she could move in with Naruto.

She shook her head quickly before getting up out of bed. She had to get ready for work.

/

At work, the pinkette had been very distracted as she carried out her duties. That dream had been disturbing, and she couldn't stop wondering what Naruto's misgivings could be. When her lunch break arrived, she was incredibly relieved to see Ino already sitting at one of the tables. She desperately needed to talk to someone.

The blonde waved at Sakura and she waved back. She hurriedly arranged a tray of food and sat down.

"Ino-pig... Thank God you're here..." Sakura said almost breathlessly.

Ino smiled warmly.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy to see me. What's up, Forehead?" she asked.

Leaving her food where it was, Sakura leaned in closer to Ino.

"I asked Naruto if I could move in with him... He said yes, but he seemed hesitant for some reason that he wouldn't tell me. He said he would tell me later today."

Ino's eyes widened.

"Wow, really...? You didn't pressure him into it, right?"

Sakura looked away pensively.

"No... Well, I don't think I did..." She thought about how she had told Naruto how important it was to her and realized he might have felt obligated. "Maybe I did...? I just really wanted to know what was wrong... I would have accepted it if he didn't want me moving in, but I wanted him to at least tell me why."

Ino hummed thoughtfully.

"Hmm... It's one thing if the reason has nothing to do with your moving in with him, but if you got him to agree as a way of getting out of telling you what it was, then you probably pressured him a little."

Sakura frowned.

"Oh... Did I screw up?"

Ino looked up with a smile.

"Not really... As long as your moving in is really what he wants. You should make sure of that."

Sakura nodded quickly. She started eating her food.

"Okay... Thanks, Ino."

"Anytime, Forehead," Ino reached over and took a piece of fruit off of Sakura's tray. "I'll take this as compensation."

Sakura chuckled but continued to eat without looking up from her meal.

"Haha... I just feel so much worse when he's not around. I need to know that he still loves me. It scares me how much I need that, but the thought of being away from him scares me even more. And it's so difficult to make other people understand that."

Ino munched on the fruit, audibly swallowing it before speaking up.

"It just sounds like you don't fully trust him yet... Or maybe you don't believe that you deserve to be happy? Either way, I don't think anything that I could tell you would help. All you can do is hope that it goes away in time."

The pinkette looked up with a curious expression.

"Is that your professional opinion?"

Ino laughed melodically.

"Do you want it to be? If you want therapy, Forehead, I could set you up with someone from my clan. But you're always going to be somewhat neurotic and insecure. You wouldn't be Forehead if you weren't."

Sakura looked back down at her food thoughtfully. She was silent for a while. Ino watched her with a raised eyebrow.

"I think I'll be fine... But..."

Sakura trailed off. Ino leaned in with arms crossed over the table.

"Listen, if it was anyone other than Naruto, I would be worried. Anyone else could really hurt you if you were so attached to them. But I know he's harmless. So I'm not worried. Trust me, you would know if I was."

Sakura looked up. After a moment, she simply nodded.

"Yeah... I had a dream that he left me, and I remember thinking in the dream that there had to be something wrong with him, because he would never act that way."

Ino's eyes widened.

"Really? What else happened in the dream?"

Sakura smiled awkwardly.

"Well, Hinata scolded me for not being good enough for him. You were also there, and you were with Sasuke-kun. You mocked me because you had finally won."

Ino grinned.

"Wow, I hope at least that part of it comes true. Even though you don't care anymore, it would still be my victory."

Sakura sighed.

"I'd be happy to admit defeat on that one. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. We would have to get Sasuke-kun to at least look at you first."

The blonde leaned back in her chair and pouted.

"I'm never going to give up, Forehead. I really think I could understand him now. He just needs to give me a chance."

Sakura rolled her eyes before resuming her meal. Ino was a great confidant, but when it came to certain matters, she was always going to be hopeless.

/

When Sakura arrived back at her home, she saw her mother reading a book at the table. Mebuki smiled at her as she approached.

"Hi, mom. I'm home. I'm going to go change and visit Naruto so that we can plan things out," Sakura said.

Mebuki nodded.

"Okay, dear. Tell him I said hello. Kizashi went out to buy groceries, but I'm sure he would wish you the best as well. We both just want you to be happy," she replied.

The pinkette smiled warmly.

"Thank you... I hope I will be."

Sakura went upstairs to her room. Looking at the clothes in her closet, she saw the pair of dark green pants that she wore on that terrible day. She decided it would be appropriate to wear the same outfit again. She took off her work clothes and put on the pants as well as the close-fitting white top that she had worn back then. She decided she might as well bring her pajamas as well in case she decided to stay with Naruto again, so she packed them into her bag. She hadn't planned on spending the night, but after how miserable last night had been, she thought she might change her mind.

She headed back downstairs with her bag and waved goodbye to her mother before departing.

/

On her way to Naruto's apartment, the pinkette happened to pass by Ichiraku. She decided to surprise him by bringing him a few bowls of miso ramen. She went inside and saw the white-garbed Teuchi behind the counter. There were only a few other people there, so she didn't have to wait. She walked up to the counter and smiled politely at the man without sitting down.

"Hello... I'd like to order four bowls of miso to go, please," Sakura said.

Teuchi nodded.

"Okay. That'll be... Wait, aren't you Haruno Sakura-san? Naruto-kun's teammate? I remember seeing you here with him sometimes."

Sakura smiled nervously.

"Uh, yeah, that's me. I'm actually buying them for him. I don't eat that much ramen myself."

The man gave her a friendly smile.

"Really? What's the occasion?"

She blushed lightly.

"There really isn't much of one... I just wanted to surprise him. He's my boyfriend."

Teuchi's eyes widened.

"Oh! I heard he was dating someone, but I didn't realize it was you. That's great. In that case, they're on the house."

Sakura frowned and blushed more deeply.

"Really, you don't have to. I could pay for them."

The ramen chef shook his head.

"No way. Naruto-kun kept this business afloat for years. I won't hear of it. Here you go, Sakura-san. Be sure to hold the bag upright."

He handed her the stacked bowls in a large paper bag. She carefully took it by the bottom.

"Okay, I guess. Thank you..."

"No problem. Tell him I said hello."

Sakura nodded at him before turning and walking out. She found it surprising how many people were so close to Naruto. Out of all of them, she somehow managed to stand out for all these years, even though she hadn't always been kind to him. It was humbling.

She made her way to his apartment, holding the ramen with both hands with her bag over her shoulder.

/

Sakura arrived at the apartment complex and tentatively knocked on the door, shifting the bag of ramen to hold it under one arm. After a few moments, Naruto opened the door and smiled nervously at her. He had already changed into a t-shirt and pajama pants.

"Hi, Sakura-chan. I'm glad you came. Come on in," he said.

The pinkette smiled and walked in, setting the ramen and her bag on the kitchen counter.

"I brought you some ramen, Naruto. Teuchi-san let me have it for free. He says hello," she replied.

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Wow, that's great. Now I'm even more glad you came."

Sakura laughed.

"Haha... Want to eat it now?"

"Of course."

They sat down at the table, Naruto taking three bowls and Sakura taking one. It was a light meal for Naruto and a heavy meal for Sakura. Naruto ate quickly in his nervousness and finished his bowls before Sakura finished her single bowl. She looked up to see Naruto watching her with a strange expression.

"You want the rest of mine, Naruto? I'm almost full."

Naruto shook his head.

"Nah, that's okay. So what did your parents say?"

Sakura smiled.

"They said they were fine with it. My dad still thinks it's too soon, but he just wants me to be happy. That's what I want, too."

The blonde grinned sheepishly.

"I always wanted that as well. I'd be happy to have you live here if it would make you happy, Sakura-chan."

Sakura frowned lightly.

"Naruto, I was thinking about it more, and I'm concerned now. I don't want to move in if you don't want me to. I realize that you probably don't need me as much as I need you. So you don't have to tell me the reason if you don't want to, Naruto. It's up to you. Just please tell me what you want."

Naruto gulped. He idly moved the stacked bowls of ramen off to one side.

"Well... When you first brought it up, my first thought was that I would love for you to move in. And I still would love it. It would make me so happy too. But I'm worried about you. I feel like it's not fair to you that you're so attached to me."

The pinkette raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, it's not fair?"

Naruto looked away uncomfortably.

"I still don't know how to tell you. I want to, but I don't know how. I'm really ashamed."

Sakura smiled softly. She stood up and took Naruto's hand, pulling him to his feet.

"Come on, let's sit down on the couch."

Abandoning the empty bowls, she took him over to the couch and beckoned for him to sit down. She sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close to her. Naruto let out a long breath. Sakura watched him with the same soft smile.

"Naruto, don't you understand how I feel? I love and accept everything about you. You never have to be ashamed of anything. I just want you to be happy, because that's what you do for me. You make me so happy. Nothing you could say would ever change the way I feel about you," she continued.

Sakura moved her hand to run her fingers through his hair soothingly as she liked to do. Naruto felt himself relax.

"So... Feel free to tell me whenever you're ready, because there's no way it can change anything. Or if you want, we can just stay like this, Naruto. Don't you like being like this with me?"

The blonde smiled.

"Yeah, I do... You're so amazing, Sakura-chan. I'm really lucky."

Sakura smiled more widely and wrapped her arm around him again, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm the lucky one, Naruto."

Naruto finally sighed.

"Well... The problem is... I'm really attracted to you."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, and...? Isn't that a good thing?"

He turned his head to look at her with a pained expression.

"Sakura-chan, you don't get it. I'm so attracted to you that I don't know if I can control it if we're always sleeping in the same bed."

The pinkette stared at him blankly.

"Naruto, you're right. I don't get it. How is that a problem?"

Naruto blinked a few times. For a second, he wondered why he had thought it was a problem to begin with. Then he remembered.

"It's a problem because you said you wouldn't deny me that, because you want to make me happy. And I'm not comfortable with that... I only want to do that if it's something you want to do."

She looked down in thought.

"Oh... Hmm... What made you think about that being a problem?"

He frowned.

"Well, the night before last. I woke up in the middle of the night. I saw you sleeping beside me, and I thought about doing that with you. I was really aroused again. I thought about waking you up just to get you to do that with me. And it made me feel really bad that I wanted to."

Sakura nodded slowly.

"I see... Why didn't you?"

"What do you mean?"

She looked up at him.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

Naruto gaped at her.

"Because... That would be a horrible thing to do. It would be so selfish. You were sleeping soundly. How could I disturb that just to get something I wanted?"

Sakura smiled softly again.

"Naruto, it's true that I enjoyed sleeping in your arms, and that was what I wanted to do. But... The one time that we've done that, I practically had to force you. I would have liked to have a chance to be there for you when you really needed me. It would have been special. And I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more now that it wouldn't hurt. If I had known, I would've chosen that over a few more hours of sleep."

The blonde's eyes narrowed in understanding.

"Oh... But how do I know that you're doing it because you want to, and not just to make me happy?"

Sakura's smile grew wider.

"Because you're the one who always worries about making me happy, Naruto. If I was uncomfortable, you would stop. I know you would, because I know you'll never hurt me. And I don't mind doing that with you. I like being close to you, and there's no way to get any closer than that. So it won't just make you happy, it'll make me happy too. You don't have to worry about it, Naruto."

Naruto blinked. He couldn't believe it was really that simple. She really trusted him and just wanted to be close to him in whatever way made both of them the happiest. He finally returned her smile.

"I see. Well, okay. I'll do my best to make you happy as long as you're living here, Sakura-chan."

She leaned in and pecked his cheek.

"I know you will, Naruto."

Sakura rested her head against his. They were both silent for a while. Eventually, Naruto spoke up quietly.

"Did you want to sleep here tonight?"

The pinkette hummed quietly.

"Hmm... If I do, can you come help me move my things tomorrow morning?"

His eyes widened a little.

"Sure... But how come you're in such a hurry? Did something happen?"

Sakura leaned her head away to look in his eyes. He watched her with concern.

"I had a lot of difficulty sleeping without you. I really think living with you would get rid of this stress I'm feeling. Then we'd both be happier, because I'd be relaxed, and you wouldn't have to deal with me being so clingy. So I want to do it as soon as possible."

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, that makes sense, Sakura-chan. I'll help you. I'll always help you."

She got up and stood in front of him with a wide grin.

"Thanks for always being there for me, Naruto."

The blonde also stood, facing her from about half a foot away.

"Of course, Sakura-chan. I'll be there as long as you need me."

Sakura stepped closer to him, but Naruto didn't flinch.

"You know, Naruto... I meant what I said before. And I even wore these clothes for you. I really want to be everything for you. I love you, so you don't have to feel guilty."

He gulped.

"Well... I love you too, Sakura-chan. But I don't think we should force it. Let's just see what happens."

She stared at him for a moment. Then she nodded with a bright smile. The tension disappeared.

"Okay, Naruto."

/

After cleaning up after the ramen they ate, they talked casually for a while about what it would be like to live together. They went into the bedroom and planned out some rules and arrangements so that they could both be comfortable. Eventually, Sakura yawned from her seat on the bed.

"We can talk about this more tomorrow, Naruto. I need to change for bed," she said.

Naruto watched her as she stood up.

"Okay. Do you want me to go-"

"No, you don't have to. I think we're both used to this by now, Naruto."

He gave her a strange look. That reply didn't make any sense given what he was going to say. He was about to tell her that, but the words died in his throat as she pulled her top off to reveal a pink, rose-patterned bra. She turned to face him and smiled at his wide-eyed expression.

"Is that the same...?"

Sakura only nodded. She folded the shirt and placed it on top of the dresser before sitting down on the bed next to him again and unbuttoning her pants. She looked over at Naruto. He seemed to be fighting an internal battle as he watched her.

"Are you okay, Naruto?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..."

She smiled playfully.

"It's just that you're staring at me. I'm feeling a little self-conscious."

Naruto quickly looked away. After a few moments, he felt a hand on his cheek turn his head back towards her. She had removed the pants, leaving only her bra and a simple pair of white underwear. She still had the same playful smile.

"It's okay, Naruto... I want you to look at me," Sakura said.

Any response he was going to give was stopped by the impact of her lips against his. She put her arms around him and pulled both of them to their feet as they continued to kiss. She pressed closer against him, trying to absorb his warmth. She felt his hardness rise up between the two of them. After some time, she managed to tear herself away so that she could lock eyes with him. He was watching her with intensity.

"What are you thinking about, Naruto...?"

He struggled to untie the string on his pajama pants.

"I..."

Sakura looked down and saw both the shape of his arousal and his difficulty. She took hold of his hands.

"Calm down... We have plenty of time, Naruto. I'll get it."

Releasing them, she knelt down and untied the string easily. She pulled down his pants, but left his undershorts in place. She was about to stand up when Naruto spoke.

"Can you take them off too...? I'm not in a hurry... It's just not very comfortable..."

She obliged, carefully removing his underwear as well before standing up, looking into his eyes with a smile.

"There, you're free... I bet that feels good."

The blonde was still watching her intently.

"Yeah, it does..."

She carefully grasped his length in her hand. Her eyes widened a little, but she enjoyed how warm and hard he felt.

"Ah... You get so hard for me, Naruto. Sometimes I feel a bit intimidated."

A heat began to build up inside of her as well. Naruto saw a hint of a smile on her face, the nostalgic one she reserved for him.

"Don't..." Naruto started to say. The pinkette had eagerly begun to move her hand along him, causing him to shudder. "... Don't be. But don't do that too much... I might not be able to stand it."

She stopped moving her hand but maintained her solid grip while she leaned in and kissed him deeply. She reached up with her other hand and gently ran her fingers through his thick hair. He still seemed a bit too tense. She wanted him to feel completely at ease with her.

"Sorry... It just feels really nice," Sakura whispered.

She let him go, pulling away a little so that she could reach around her back to unclasp her bra. Without taking her eyes off him, she moved the straps over her shoulders. He stared back at her, transfixed, as the garment fell to the ground.

"Tell me what you want, Naruto..." she asked breathily.

Naruto reached out and put his hands gently on her hips, pulling her close to him. His arousal rubbed roughly against her core, stopped only by the thin fabric. They both gasped.

"Please, I want to hear you say it," the pinkette implored.

With a deep breath, he finally broke the contact and met her emerald gaze.

"I... I really want to be inside of you... Sakura," he replied.

The pinkette smiled at him reassuringly.

"It's okay, Naruto. I'm excited, too. It won't hurt me at all this time."

She sat down on the bed and extended her legs, motioning for him to remove her white panties. He reached down and took hold of the straps and slowly pulled them off, letting them drop off the side of the bed.

He glanced down at the narrow lips of her entrance and back up to her eyes. He took his shirt off and tossed it aside before making a move forward, his knees against the side of the bed that was between her legs.

"Wait, Naruto..." Sakura said quietly, but without much urgency.

She put her hand between her legs and inserted a finger to verify that she could accommodate him. It went in easily. She moved it in and out a few times.

Naruto watched her with concern. It had been difficult to stop himself. He really wanted to fall on top of her right away, but he'd hate it if he caused her pain.

"It's okay, right?" he asked.

She looked up at him and smiled.

"Yep... Everything's ready for you," She laid down with her head on top of the pillow and extended both arms in a welcoming gesture. "C'mon, Naruto. Come here to me," she gently ordered, beaming at him.

This was not a prospect he could have ever walked away from. So he slowly positioned himself over her, elevated by his forearms and knees.

Sakura giggled and wrapped her arms gently around his back. He at last gripped her shoulder blades with his hands and slowly entered her. She took a sharp intake of breath. The blonde didn't move right away.

"Just to let you know, I'm not exactly made of glass," she said in a playful tone.

But Naruto hadn't been worried about hurting her for once. He was just very happy to be back within that familiar warm place. It made him feel like everything in the world was perfect and nothing in it could harm him. He met her eyes and smiled genuinely. She grinned back at him and lifted her head to kiss him while pulling him in with her arms, beckoning him deeper inside of her and eliciting gasps from them both.

As the blonde was drawn in, conscious of the pinkette wrapped around him and the sound of her airy breaths, he felt the familiar sensation building and quickly chose to pursue it. He heard her breathing grow more rapid as he did. When he slammed into her as far as he could, she cried out and wrapped her legs around him securely, her fingernails scratching at his back. The unexpected stimuli took him out of his rhythm for a moment, though it was now impossible for him to slip out of her even if he wanted to.

"Don't stop... You're doing so well..."

He was more than happy to oblige. It was his favorite thing to do anyway. Every time he felt himself buried up to the hilt, the adrenaline rushing through him was so great that it felt like it might be the last. Something inside him would give and that would be it for him. Sasuke would definitely find it amusing that Sakura managed to kill him after all those times that he himself failed.

But nothing could dissuade him from pounding into her. He knew for sure that a different type of death awaited him and it wasn't far off. He doubted he could last much longer, but he couldn't bear to disappoint her. Just as he felt himself about to break, she met eyes with him breathlessly.

"Mnn... Naruto, I can feel it... You're gonna..." She broke her urgent gaze, her head lolling back into the pillow. "Aaagh...! Naruto, I'm... Naruto...!"

She cried out louder than he had ever heard her, her eyes rolling back into her head. Her walls constricted and she began to writhe violently under him, her back arching while she took quick and shallow breaths. He felt her walls release and he slammed into her again, meeting his own end. His head collapsed next to hers on the pillow. He was shaken by waves of euphoria as she squeezed him dry of everything he had.

As he grew still, he knew he was completely drenched in a mixture of their warm fluids inside her. He wanted to pull out of her to see how much of a mess they made of the sheets, but he felt her legs still resting gently against his back. He lifted his head and shyly met her eyes. She smiled at him as he did.

"I hope you understand now."

He wasn't sure how to put it into words, but he was pretty sure that he did understand - Sakura just loved being close to him.

To be the one who was most precious to him brought her happiness, but being the one who brought him happiness gave her nothing less than ecstasy.

He simply nodded and smiled back at her.

"I'm glad..."

Sakura raised her head to kiss him softly as she unwrapped her legs from him. When she released his lips, he rolled away to one side and laid on his back. Their activity had left a prominent aroma.

"Naruto... Let's take another shower together."

Naruto looked over at her and nodded again. Then his eyes widened as he remembered something.

"You left your bag in the kitchen... Earlier, I was going to ask if you wanted me to get it for you," he said.

The pinkette grinned.

"Duh... I knew that."

He raised an eyebrow. After a moment, he grinned back at her.

"Haha... You're great, Sakura-chan."

Sakura reached over and ruffled his hair playfully.

"Anything for you, my Naruto."


	16. Emerald-Hued Intention

"I'll be there as long as you need me, Sakura-chan."

Their shower had been surprisingly chaste. The most they did was playfully splash each other with water. But afterwards, Naruto had said that again. And as the pajama-clad Sakura was lying under the sheets next to the dozing blonde, she wondered about that statement. She knew he meant it, and she did feel like she needed him. So he would always be there. She didn't understand why she couldn't just believe that. She wondered if she simply loved making herself miserable, or if she just didn't believe that she deserved happiness as Ino had said.

The pinkette didn't know why she always insisted on punishing herself. Naruto never held anything against her. And she had even protected him from his own suffering and heartbreak more than once. She had always tried to be there to save him from pain. And it was only natural that Naruto do the same for her now. But why did she need him to? Why couldn't she let it go?

She knew that both her and Naruto would be happier if she could. It hurt him to see her acting so vulnerable. So she had to try harder.

Sakura finally drifted off to sleep.

/

When the pinkette opened her eyes again, she saw that the other half of the bed was empty. For once, she didn't panic. She looked around and saw that the bathroom door was shut. He was probably in there.

The room was bright with sunlight. She sat up in the bed and thought more about what she had been going through. She felt lucky that her parents were so accepting.

The bathroom door opened and Naruto came out. He was wearing his usual clothes minus the jacket. He smiled seeing that she was awake and walked up to her bedside. Sakura looked over at him.

"Hi, Sakura-chan. I was surprised that I actually woke up first today," the blonde said.

Sakura smiled.

"Well, I guess I was waiting for my sun."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"The sun's been up for a while, though."

The pinkette chuckled.

"Haha. Not the sun. My sun. You're my sun, Naruto. You're my warm and bright sun."

His eyes shifted in thought and he nodded after a moment.

"Oh... I'm still amazed that I became the center of your universe."

Sakura was gazing at him softly.

"I was surprised by it too... But I'm sorry, Naruto. It must be inconvenient for you sometimes."

Naruto quickly shook his head.

"No, it's not. It's a pleasure. You're my favorite person, Sakura-chan. Even if it was inconvenient, I would put up with it for you. I just wish all this didn't have such a big effect on you."

She sighed deeply, her expression pained.

"Don't feel bad for me, Naruto. I'm taking advantage of you enough as it is."

The blonde stared at her with wide eyes.

"What do you mean? You've done so much for me, Sakura-chan. How could you possibly be taking advantage of me?"

Her eyes shifted away sadly.

"Because, Naruto. I've made it clear that I need you to be around or I'll be miserable. And you accepted that. So I've forced the responsibility of making me happy onto you. You accepted because you're such an amazing person, but it's still not fair to you."

After a moment, Naruto smiled softly. Sakura raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"I'm only returning the favor, Sakura-chan."

"Huh?"

He reached down and took hold of one of her hands. The pinkette watched him curiously.

"You accepted the responsibility of protecting my happiness a long time ago. And unlike with me, no one asked you to do it. And no one even knew that you were doing it. Maybe you didn't even know... But you did it because you cared about me. And I loved you more than ever when I learned that," He knelt down to be at eye level with her and smiled wider. "And I always will. So you don't have to worry about it, Sakura-chan. I'll protect you from being sad as long as you need it. I don't care if it takes forever, because I wouldn't know what to do without your care and kindness. So I could never walk away when it's you who needs the help. Even if you didn't ask me."

She was shocked for a moment. Then she smiled back at him with her lip slightly quivering. She was a bit misty-eyed.

"Naruto... There's no way that I can be unhappy with you in my life... So I promise that I'll-"

Naruto swiftly touched two fingers to her lips with his other hand.

"Shh... Don't worry about that, Sakura-chan. It's not a big deal. Take as much time as you need."

She grinned as he withdrew.

"Okay, Naruto. God, you make everything seem so easy. I love you for that."

The blonde's expression turned serious. Sakura's eyes widened a little in alarm.

"I can only be like that because of you, Sakura-chan. Because I have you. I could never be so confident without you. Please believe me when I say that."

She leaned forward a little.

"Really, Naruto? But..."

"It's the truth. Without you, I would be lost."

He left it there, frustratingly for Sakura, and stood up. She wanted to hear more. She sat up in the bed.

"But you're so amazing, Naruto. I've always been trying to catch up to you."

Naruto shook his head.

"You never had to. I would have slowed down so that I could walk beside you. Because if I can't walk beside you, there's no point in being amazing. You were always the one who made me want to try so hard. So that you would look at me. And I'm glad you did. Because if you didn't, I don't know what I would be doing now."

The pinkette gaped at him.

"You shouldn't talk like that, Naruto..."

He looked down and sighed.

"Maybe I shouldn't. I won't, anymore. But it's the truth. It's no different for me, Sakura-chan. I just hide it better than you do."

Sakura's brow wrinkled in deep thought. Naruto looked up at her with a smile.

"Well, we should go to your parents' house now. You should get dressed, Sakura-chan," he said.

She looked up with a blank expression.

"Okay, Naruto."

The blonde walked out of the bedroom. A few minutes later, the smell of boiling ramen wafted in.

/

They were walking together to Sakura's parents' home with smiles on their faces. They talked about less important matters. When a familiar antagonist crossed their path, their expressions soured at the same time.

"Hey, Kiba," Naruto said.

The dog ninja and his companion both turned to look at them. Kiba was frowning deeply.

"Oh, it's you. And you're with Sakura. Lovely. What do you want, Naruto?"

Naruto frowned as well. Sakura edged closer to Naruto.

"I don't want anything. I'm just saying hello. We don't have a problem with you, Kiba. We used to be friends. This is something you came up with on your own."

Kiba bared his teeth.

"Well, I can't be friends with you guys. It would be impossible. I get pissed off every time I look at either of you."

The blonde regarded him with pity.

"Kiba, you need to get this off your chest. You're not going to feel better until you do."

Kiba took a step to within arm's length of him. Sakura watched Kiba carefully, but Naruto either wasn't threatened or didn't think he had a reason to be.

"What do you mean by that?"

Naruto looked down and sighed.

"You should tell Hinata how you feel. I know it seems hard, but trust me, you'll feel better when you-"

He looked up to see a gloved fist heading towards his face. It was too close for him to defend. His eyes automatically shut in anticipation of the impact.

In terms of foot speed, Sakura wasn't that fast even by kunoichi standards. But her reactions were quicker than most male ninja. So as on guard as she was, it was easy enough for her to grab Kiba's fist out of the air.

The Inuzuka suddenly found that he couldn't move any of his fingers. He tried to pull away, but all that did was make his arm hurt. The pinkette's eyes were sharply trained on him. He realized that the only way he could free himself would be to attack her, and he wasn't angry enough to forget what Shikamaru had told him. So he had gotten himself into another situation where he was pathetically disadvantaged.

Naruto opened his eyes in bewilderment to see Kiba's pained expression and Sakura's remorseless one. Akamaru was standing back timidly. He knew both of them and was well aware that this fight was a foolish one for Kiba to enter into.

"Are you ever going to let go of me?" Kiba finally spat, looking at the pinkette.

"That depends. Are you going to try to hurt Naruto again? Because if you are, I'm going to break every bone in your hand," she replied coldly.

Kiba let out a long, frustrated breath.

"... No."

Sakura applied much more force than she needed to when releasing him, and he flew back and landed on his backside. He struggled to his feet and glared at Naruto bitterly.

"You had some nerve to say that shit when you're the one who she-" he started to say.

Akamaru barked loudly, communicating that Sakura was unlikely to tolerate an attempt to hurt Naruto emotionally, either. After glancing at his partner in acknowledgement, the dog ninja simply turned and stomped away.

Sakura relaxed and turned back to look at Naruto, who smiled awkwardly at her.

"You shouldn't have to protect me, Sakura-chan. But you're really fast. You would make a great ANBU."

She laughed.

"Haha... I know he wouldn't have done much damage, but it was a matter of principle. I won't ever let anyone hurt my Naruto."

The pinkette smiled warmly and wrapped an arm around him as they continued to walk towards their destination.

/

Upon arriving at the home of Mebuki and Kizashi, Sakura knocked on the door. Her mother opened it a few moments later.

"Oh, Sakura dear... It's great to see you," the older pinkette said, wrapping Sakura in a hug. She pulled back and looked at Naruto. "And you brought Naruto-kun! How are you, sweetheart?"

Mebuki hugged Naruto as well. The blonde smiled shyly at her.

"We're both doing fine, mom. We wanted to start moving some of my stuff," Sakura explained with an awkward smile.

Her mother nodded.

"Sounds fine to me. Come on in."

They walked inside. Kizashi was sitting at the kitchen table. He looked up at them.

"Hi, Sakura... I see you brought Naruto..." His wife glanced at him meaningfully. "-kun. Let us know if you two need any help with moving."

Sakura grinned nervously.

"We should be fine... But thanks, dad."

They went upstairs. Naruto's eyes widened a bit at the girlish color scheme of her room. He wondered if the differences were weird for her, but he resolved to ask her about it later. They had a job to do.

He started making clones in quick succession and had them pick up things that Sakura directed them to. Most of it was already in bags and boxes.

The pinkette looked at the real Naruto.

"We shouldn't have to go with them, right? We can stay here?" she asked.

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, it should be okay. I have plenty of chakra. I'll make a few extra ones in case anything happens. I don't want you to lose anything," he replied.

"Okay. Thanks, Naruto."

She gave him a brief hug. They both went back downstairs.

Sakura's parents were watching the line of clones with curiosity.

"I've never seen anything like that before. How long do they last?" Kizashi asked.

Naruto looked over at him politely.

"They last as long as they have chakra, which is a long time if they aren't using chakra themselves. I guess several hours?"

The older man nodded.

"I see... I have to go to the restroom. Excuse me."

He stood up and walked out of the room. Mebuki was eyeing the two of them with a strange smile on her face.

"That ability seems really useful," she said.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. Naruto looked at the older pinkette with a smile.

"Yeah, it is. It's my main jutsu," he explained.

"Does Sakura like it?"

She winked at Sakura, who blushed deeply.

"Uh, I don't know. Do you like it, Sakura-chan?" Naruto said, looking at Sakura.

She didn't look back at him, instead glaring at her mother.

"Mom, leave him alone. I've never asked him to use his jutsu like that," Sakura said.

Mebuki frowned. Naruto looked very confused.

"Why not, Sakura dear? It seems like it could be very nice for you," Mebuki replied.

"Because... We aren't even close to the point where we need to try to make things interesting. We aren't even used to each other yet."

Sakura's mother finally nodded.

"Oh, I see. That makes sense."

The blonde was still quite perplexed.

"What are you talking about, Sakura-chan?" he asked.

Sakura finally looked over at Naruto, exasperated.

"My wonderful mother was suggesting that I should ask you to use them for... nighttime activities," she explained.

He gaped at her in shock.

"Oh... Wow... I mean, I would get the memories... But what would you get out of it, Sakura-chan? It's not like more than one of me can..."

The red-faced pinkette shouted over him.

"Naruto! Don't finish that sentence."

Mebuki laughed. Naruto had a sheepish expression on his face.

"Haha. Ask her about it when I'm not around, Naruto-kun. She probably has a million ideas. She's just being coy."

Sakura crossed her arms and looked away.

"I certainly do not. You're just embarrassing me."

The conversation was tragically cut short when Kizashi reentered the room. The duo went back upstairs to continue organizing the move.

/

After the clones made a couple trips, Sakura decided that it would be best to not try to do it all in one day. She related this to Naruto, who nodded.

"Let's go do something fun, Naruto. I'm getting bored," the pinkette said with a smile.

"Okay, Sakura-chan. Would it be alright if we came back tomorrow, Mebuki-san, Kizashi-san?" Naruto asked looking at her parents.

They both nodded in assent. They stood up and walked up to them to give them a proper farewell.

"See you tomorrow, Naruto-kun. Take good care of Sakura," Mebuki said.

"I will."

After saying goodbye to her parents, Sakura walked out the front door. As Naruto moved to follow, Kizashi put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him off to the side. Naruto smiled politely at the older man, who had a serious look on his face.

"Naruto-kun, I'd like to talk to you alone, but I don't want Sakura to think I'm giving you a hard time. I've mostly given up hope on doing that anyway, but I have to talk to you. Can you try to come over on your own at some point tomorrow?" Kizashi asked.

Naruto gulped. He returned the serious gaze.

"Sure, Kizashi-san... I'll try to come over before or afterwards."

"Thank you. You can go now. Keep taking care of my daughter."

The blonde nodded earnestly before hurrying off to catch up with Sakura.

/

The couple went out to eat together, heading home after it got dark. They took some time to put away Sakura's things. The only piece of furniture she bothered to have Naruto move was a dresser for her clothes. They spent about an hour doing this. It had gotten late after that, so they got ready for bed.

After changing into her pajamas, Sakura laid down close to Naruto. He turned to look at her with a smile.

"I still think you look really cute in those, Sakura-chan," the blonde said.

She grinned back at him.

"I'm glad you like them, Naruto. I like them too," She wrapped an arm around him, resting her body weight against him. "They're warm. Just like you. I feel warm inside and out."

The pinkette slowly moved her head towards his before giving him a tender kiss that lasted a few seconds. When she pulled back, she couldn't help but swing one of her legs around him, pressing closer into him.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Sakura-chan, wait."

She looked at him confusedly. He put his hands gently on her sides.

"If we continue like this, we're going to end up... Well, you know. And I really like being like that with you. But I'm wondering, is that something you want? To do that every night? I don't want you to feel like you have to."

Sakura's expression softened.

"Is it what you want, Naruto? I just like being with you... I don't care what we do. I'll be happy as long as you're here with me."

Naruto looked away in thought before meeting her eyes again.

"Of course I would want that, Sakura-chan. But I only care about what you want."

She chuckled.

"Haha... We're at an impasse, then. Because I only care about what you want."

The blonde laughed as well.

"Wow... What should we do, then?"

Sakura smiled after a moment.

"How about this? We can default to not doing it unless one of us really wants to, in which case we will as long as the other person is okay with it. How does that sound?"

Naruto nodded and smiled.

"That sounds fine. So do you really want to?"

She thought for a moment before collapsing next to him, her arms draped over him. Her head was resting next to his on the pillow.

"I guess I really just want to snuggle with you. Is that okay, Naruto? I don't want to disappoint you."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead before pulling the sheet over both of them.

"That could never disappoint me. Sleep well, Sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled contentedly before closing her eyes.

"Good night, Naruto... I love you."

Sleep came quickly for her. Naruto followed her into dreamland a few minutes later.


	17. Reminiscing

When Naruto awoke, he couldn't feel Sakura's weight anymore. He looked over to see that she had rolled onto her back during the night and was breathing softly. He carefully got out of bed. The daylight had just started to stream in through the window. As he reached into his drawer for a change of clothes, he heard Sakura mumble something drowsily.

"Naruto..."

His head swiveled to look at her. She was still asleep with a smile on her face. He felt bad about leaving her, but he had promised Kizashi that he would speak to him. He quietly put on his clothes and slipped out.

After making it out the front door, he took to the rooftops. He really wanted to get there quickly and make it back so that Sakura wouldn't worry. If she woke up and he wasn't there, she might think something bad had happened. He had considered leaving her a note, but her father had wanted him to be discreet, and he didn't want to lie to her about what he was doing.

He got to the Haruno house quickly and knocked on the door. After a few moments, a groggy looking Kizashi opened it. The man smiled thinly at him.

"Ah, hello. I didn't expect you to come so early," he said.

Naruto nodded.

"It seemed like the best opportunity to come here, since Sakura-chan doesn't like being alone. I hope I can get back to her before she wakes up," the blonde explained.

"I see. I'll come outside, then. I don't want to wake Mebuki, either."

Kizashi checked to verify that the front door was unlocked before walking out and shutting it.

"Follow me," he said.

He led Naruto around the house to the fairly small backyard. There were a few bushes that were growing out of control and a dusty swing set. It didn't seem like the family went back here very often anymore. He sat down on the back steps to the house and motioned Naruto to sit down as well. The blonde did so.

Kizashi silently stared out at the swing set for a few moments before speaking. Naruto watched him carefully. Finally, he spoke.

"Thanks for coming. I know you didn't have to."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? Of course I had to. I would never disrespect you. You're Sakura-chan's father," he said confusedly.

The older man shook his head.

"You didn't have to. If you wanted to, you could have laughed it off. Sakura cares for you so much that it wouldn't matter if we didn't accept you. I think you know that."

Naruto looked down in thought but didn't respond. It was clear to Kizashi that he did understand. The Haruno man smiled sadly to himself.

"I used to watch her play on that swing from this very step. It's hard to have a daughter, you know? Especially if she's your only child. I never thought that I would be the only man in her life, but I did think it would last longer than it did. She was incredibly precocious. She was so young when she became obsessed with that Sasuke kid. Mebuki would always tell me not to worry, but it was scary to me. That kid clearly had problems. She got it into her head that she was going to be there for him and he'd open up to her. He would be so grateful for her support that he'd marry her and she would be set for life. No one could discourage her from that, even though it was obvious he would never choose a civilian girl. But I guess it was just as unlikely that you'd pick her. Right, son of the Fourth?" he asked with some amusement.

The blonde frowned.

"Sasuke actually was going to try to be with her... He didn't love her, but he was going to try anyway, because we've been through so much as a team. But she decided to be with me. She said she wouldn't be able to live with herself if I was unhappy. I didn't really understand it back then, but I'm thankful."

Kizashi laughed.

"Haha. I guess I'm thankful too. I didn't want her to be with that kid. The family dinners being awkward would be the least of our problems if she did. I was pretty scared of him... But I'm even more scared of you."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Why?"

Kizashi thought back to the past. Ever since she became a kunoichi, Sakura loved talking about her missions and her team. It was all she ever talked about around the dinner table.

 _Wearing her trademark dress, the pre-teenage Sakura hurriedly sat down in between her parents at the table. She started munching on the food much more ravenously than usual as her parents watched with wide eyes._

 _"I never should have listened to Ino. If I don't eat, I can't train at all. A ninja can't be on a diet," she said inbetween mouthfuls._

 _Her mother smiled in relief at hearing this._

 _"That's wonderful that you want to be useful for your team, Sakura dear. I'm sure they'll appreciate it," the older woman replied._

 _Sakura nodded._

 _"Yeah. I really need to impress Sasuke-kun soon. I can't be like all the other girls from our class. He never paid attention to any of them. I have to become a great kunoichi."_

 _Her father gazed at her plate miserably, while her mother had a curious look._

 _"But Sasuke-kun isn't the only one on your team, right? There's three genin in a squad?"_

 _Sakura stopped eating and looked at her mother with a frown._

 _"Well, yeah, there's Naruto. But he's an idiot. I hate him."_

 _Mebuki tilted her head to one side._

 _"Why do you hate him? Is he not a good teammate?"_

 _"He's not as good as Sasuke-kun, but he's okay, I guess. But he's just so annoying. He always tries to talk to me and calls me Sakura-chan. No matter how many times I tell him not to, he keeps calling me Sakura-chan. I'm really sick of it."_

 _The older pinkette laughed._

 _"Haha. He sounds like a nice boy. Maybe he likes you."_

 _Sakura made a disgusted expression._

 _"Well, I don't like him. He's always trying to show up Sasuke-kun. He annoys him almost as much as he annoys me. He never takes anything seriously. I could never like someone like that."_

/

 _It was the morning after the first two phases of the Chunin exam. Sakura looked exhausted still._

 _"So how was the exam, Sakura? You went straight to bed without talking about it," Kizashi asked._

 _"It went alright. I had a draw with Ino, so neither of us advanced. I really wish I had won, but I guess I just wasn't ready," she replied with a sigh._

 _"I'm sure you'll do better next time."_

 _The pinkette smiled tiredly._

 _"Sasuke-kun won his fight easily, of course, but the amazing thing was Naruto. Hardly anyone thought he could win, but he actually humiliated Kiba. He did so great. I was really excited for him."_

 _Mebuki looked up from her breakfast with an expression of amused curiosity._

 _"But I thought you didn't like Naruto?" she asked._

 _Sakura's tired smile didn't change._

 _"I guess I like him now. He never gives up. It's hard to not want him to do well. He still annoys me sometimes, but he's my precious teammate."_

/

 _Some more time passed. Sakura had started to train under Tsunade. She looked downtrodden as she picked at her food._

 _"What's wrong, Sakura dear?" Mebuki asked._

 _Sakura frowned without looking up._

 _"I don't feel like I have a purpose anymore when I'm not training. Both my teammates are gone. How am I supposed to be a ninja without them?"_

 _Kizashi frowned as well._

 _"Sakura... Didn't you become a ninja because you wanted to? Why do you need those two boys to be a ninja?" he asked._

 _She finally lifted her head with a dismal expression._

 _"It's not that I need them to be a ninja... I am a ninja. But... They are the reason why I stayed a ninja. I could never have survived without them. I would either have died or resigned by now if it wasn't for them. And all I ever wanted to do was help them. But I was useless. I was dead weight. I was stupid for ever looking down on Naruto. He's probably a million times stronger than I am, now... I really miss him."_

/

 _A few years later, the older Sakura walked in the front door and sat down at the table with a beaming smile._

 _"Hi mom, dad. How are you? Today was great," she said._

 _Both parents raised an eyebrow._

 _"Well, someone's certainly happy about something," Mebuki said._

 _Sakura nodded quickly._

 _"Well, Naruto finally came back. And he seems really strong, now."_

 _Her mother smiled._

 _"Is that all that is different about him? That he seems stronger?"_

 _Sakura blushed lightly._

 _"Well, no... He's gotten pretty tall. And he's kinda handsome, too. I was really surprised."_

/

 _Several months later, Pain had destroyed most of the village. They were eating dinner in their somewhat damaged home a few days later._

 _"We were so lucky... We didn't lose anything important," Kizashi said with great relief in his voice._

 _Mebuki nodded._

 _"Thank God for that. And everyone came back to life. It's a miracle," she replied._

 _Sakura was brooding over a bowl of soup. Her mother looked at her curiously._

 _"Don't you think so, Sakura dear?" Mebuki went on._

 _The younger pinkette didn't look up._

 _"No, I don't. It wasn't a miracle. It wasn't God," She lifted her head but didn't make eye contact with either of them. "It was Naruto. Naruto convinced Pain to bring back the people who died."_

 _Mebuki's eyes widened._

 _"Oh. Well, I'm grateful to him that he managed that. We all are."_

 _Sakura shook her head._

 _"Just being grateful isn't good enough. No one in this village treated Naruto the way that he deserved. And I was no different. He cared about me. He liked me. I don't know why, but he did. It took me a while to even be nice to him. And even after that, I always took him for granted. He saved my life years ago, and I never even thanked him for that... And when everything was being destroyed, I still cried for him, expecting him to save me yet again. And he did. He actually showed up. He came and saved me and everyone else like the true hero that he is. I only wish I deserved it."_

 _She pushed the bowl away from her. Her parents watched her nervously._

 _"I'm not hungry."_

 _The pinkette stood up and walked out of the room._

/

 _Later, news of the Fourth Shinobi War had spread. A preoccupied Sakura sat quietly at the table. Kizashi eyed her worriedly._

 _"Sakura... Are you going to have to fight?" he asked._

 _She looked at him with a raised eyebrow._

 _"Well, I'm a medic, but I'm still going to have to fight. Every ninja has to fight."_

 _"I'm just really worried about you."_

 _Sakura frowned._

 _"I'm not worried about myself. I'm worried about Naruto. This whole war is because Akatsuki wants the tailed beasts. They want the Kyuubi that is in Naruto. And he'll die if they take it out of him... I'm not going to let that happen. He didn't ask for any of this. He doesn't deserve any of it. All he ever did was try to keep everyone happy and safe. He always protected me even when I was useless. And I've never returned the favor. Now I'm going to. Even if I have to die... I'd rather die than let them have Naruto."_

 _Both parents stared at her with wide eyes._

 _"But, Sakura... Surely it's not your-"_

 _"It is!"_

 _The younger pinkette stood up with a dire expression._

 _"... It is. I never helped him. I only ever made things harder for him. And that's unforgivable. I don't want to die, but I will before I'll let Naruto suffer anymore. No one deserves to be happy more than he does. So this battle is more important to me than anything. I could never run away... I won't."_

/

 _The war was over, and the Haruno family were eating their first dinner since it had ended. Sakura had a strange expression on her face as she slowly ate her meal. Her parents watched her curiously._

 _"Aren't you happy now that the war is over, Sakura dear?" Mebuki asked._

 _Sakura looked up with an awkward smile._

 _"I guess... Hey, did you know that Naruto's father was the Yondaime? I can't believe no one knew about that..."_

 _Mebuki nodded._

 _"I did hear about that, yes. He's very famous now. Have you thought about getting together with him? Didn't he always like you?"_

 _Sakura chuckled morosely._

 _"Haha... I don't think he feels that way about me anymore... I just want him to be happy."_

 _Kizashi frowned at this. He sighed before speaking up._

 _"This really isn't my area, but don't you love him? You always talk about him. He seems so important to you. You almost never talk about that Sasuke kid anymore."_

 _Sakura gazed down at her food._

 _"I still feel the same way as I always did about Sasuke-kun, but with Naruto, it's different. I've never really understood it. I care so much for him... I can't even put it into words... All I know is that I need him to be happy. I could never be happy if he isn't. He's the most important person to me... So I'll always be there for him no matter what he chooses to do," She smiled sadly as her eyes grew watery. "Even if he doesn't need me anymore... He'll always be my hero... I'm just glad that I could help him and that he's safe... I'm so glad..."_

 _Mebuki spoke up cautiously._

 _"But... What if he still likes you?" she asked._

 _Sakura shook her head slowly without looking up._

 _"He doesn't... He's grown up so much since back then... Everything is so much different now. I don't measure up anymore... I tried telling him that I loved him, and he told me to stop messing around. So he doesn't need to know how much I care about him, because he's not interested in me like that. I'll never be more than a friend to him, and that's fine. He just needs to be happy... And he probably wouldn't be happy with me. He deserves someone amazing... Someone perfect. Not someone like me..."_

 _She was still smiling as she wiped her eyes._

Kizashi winced before responding.

"Sakura has always been thinking of you. She depends on you so much. I think that if you asked her to jump off a cliff, she would do it. That big brain of hers would quickly work out that it would be the best choice for her. A win-win scenario... She would jump off knowing that she would either be safe, or it would be an escape from living in a world where you hated her enough to want her to disappear."

The older man looked down and away miserably. Naruto stared at him with wide eyes.

"So please don't do anything that could hurt her. Even if it's just a joke... Sakura would never treat you lightly. She always thinks about how something might affect you. She tries so hard for you. I just want you to try to do the same for her. Can you do that for me?"

After a moment, the blonde nodded stoically.

"Of course. I don't ever want to hurt her. She's so beautiful and kind... I want to see her smiling, no matter what. That's the most important thing to me."

The older man looked up with a smile.

"It is for me too. Thank you, Naruto-kun."

/

As Sakura woke up, she immediately noticed the absence of the familiar warmth of Naruto. She looked over to see the ruffled sheets signifying that he had gotten out of bed. The pinkette sat up in the bed. She realized she had been making a habit of sleeping in since she moved in here due to the relief she felt.

A few minutes had passed and there was still no sign that Naruto was around. She dragged herself out of bed and walked into the living room.

"... Naruto?" she softly intoned.

Not receiving an answer, Sakura realized that he really wasn't here. She wondered where he went. He must have had something to do that he didn't tell her about. Maybe he had to do it alone.

She frowned. She was starting to get worried. It wasn't like him to leave without telling her. She went back to the bedroom to change into her normal clothes. When she had finished, she made her way out the front door. It was possible that he was doing something nearby, so she didn't want to go far. She opened the door and took a few steps into the street.

The pinkette saw the form of Rock Lee running by as she did. The green ninja stopped abruptly when he noticed her and regarded her with a stiff posture.

"Hello, Sakura-san."

His greeting lacked his usual exuberance, as thinking about Sakura still made him feel somewhat morose. The pink-haired girl smiled weakly.

"Hi, Lee-san. How are you?"

"I am fine... Are you here to visit Naruto-kun?"

Sakura smiled a little more genuinely and shook her head.

"I'm looking for him, but not to visit... I live here."

Lee's bushy eyebrows ascended.

"Oh... I had not heard that you moved in with him."

"It just happened. We're still moving my stuff."

The taijutsu user tilted his head as he regarded her.

"You mean like furniture...?"

Sakura frowned confusedly.

"Not really. He has furniture already. It's mostly my clothes and other personal things."

"I only ask because his apartment looks quite small from the outside..."

The pinkette sighed.

"Lee-san, if you're trying to get at whether or not we sleep in the same bed, the answer is yes. Is it really that big of a deal? It's normal for a couple to sleep like that... I don't understand why everyone makes such a big deal out of it."

Lee looked away awkwardly.

"I am sorry, Sakura-san. That was very rude of me... I should leave."

Sakura gave him a friendly smile.

"You don't have to. Why don't you come keep me company while I wait for him? I haven't talked to you in a long time."

Lee didn't really want to enter the apartment that they now shared, but he didn't know how to decline politely.

"If you wish..."

The pinkette waved him inside before entering herself and closing the door. Sakura went to sit at the kitchen table, and Lee sat down across from her stiffly, removing some of his iron weights so he could sit more comfortably.

"So how's your training been going?"

Lee's affect improved slightly.

"It has been going very well. Tenten has been kind enough to help me, so I have still been able to make progress."

Sakura grinned lightly. She had always thought that Tenten and Lee would be a good match.

"Tenten's pretty cool, isn't she?"

Lee sighed.

"I suppose..."

The pinkette looked at him confusedly.

"Well, she's helping you get stronger, right?"

Their conversation continued uneventfully for a few minutes until both heard a key being turned in the door lock. Sakura's expression changed drastically as her whole face lit up and she jumped to her feet. Lee watched her blankly as she walked quickly over to the front door. The door slowly swung open.

Standing in the doorway, Naruto regarded Sakura with wide eyes. He saw that her lip was quivering slightly as she gazed at him.

"Sakura-chan...?" he said cautiously as he entered and closed the door behind him.

"Naruto..."

The pinkette at once crashed into him and wrapped her arms around him. Seeing the scene out of the corner of his eye, Lee really wished he was somewhere else.

"I was worried... Please tell me next time you're going to go somewhere in the morning... Or wake me up so that I can go with you... I hate being alone..." Sakura said breathlessly.

"I'm sorry... I should have left you a note or something... I'm really sorry, Sakura-chan. Please forgive m-"

He was cut off by her lips colliding with his. Before he could get his bearings, he found himself pushed into the door he had just closed. As he found himself between the door and her, he responded by snaking his hands under her top to caress her lower back. Sakura moaned softly before being startled as she remembered that Lee was still there. She raised a hand to grasp his arm.

"Naruto, wait... Lee-san came to visit. He's in the kitchen," the pinkette whispered.

"Oh... Okay."

She wrapped an arm around his side and they walked around the corner into the kitchen to see the awkward form of Lee gazing down at the wooden table.

The taijutsu user was finding this much more vexing than he had anticipated. He thought he had reached some form of acceptance when it came to this. He knew how much this could potentially damage his youth, so he had pushed those feelings of jealousy away. But he didn't expect that the two of them would be this serious already. Seeing Sakura be so intimate with the blonde set troublesome gears turning in his head. To be that way with Sakura was something that he had never even dared to think about, out of fear that she would somehow find out what he had done and beat him to a bloody pulp. And though he had always been awkward socially, he understood enough to know that if he hadn't been there, they would have had no reason to stop. He figured they probably did that kind of thing all the time. If they lived together, it was a near certainty. That moan had represented a side of her that she had only shown to Naruto, a side Lee would never get to see again after today. Technically, he hadn't even gotten to see it this time as his eyes were not as good as Neji's had been.

He eyed her arm which was around the blonde, her delicate fingers resting intimately against his midsection. He felt sick thinking about how she must have touched Naruto with that soft hand, undoubtedly in a way that would be in diametric opposition to the beating he had feared. It made no sense to Lee that Sakura suddenly loved Naruto so much that Sasuke had become just a passing interest. It was as if she had been merely acting before, and this was who she really was. But she wasn't supposed to be this way. She was supposed to keep loving Sasuke forever while he never returned to the village. That way, no one would touch her. She would have remained a beautiful dream that he could indulge in from afar. Naruto was supposed to be in the same boat. Lee had been sure that Sakura would never embrace either of them, as she had only ever been interested in Sasuke. And neither of them were similar to Sasuke.

Lee felt that he should leave before he did or said something that he would regret. He stood up and acknowledged the pair.

Naruto smiled at him. Another man might have been frustrated at being interrupted, but Naruto cared about all his friends.

"Hey, Lee. How's it going?"

"Naruto-kun... I am sorry, I have to leave. It was nice seeing you both."

They both looked at him with confusion for a moment before Naruto nodded.

"Okay... See you later, I guess."

"Take care of yourself, Lee-san," Sakura said with a smile.

Lee quickly walked around them to depart, closing the front door behind him and walking quickly down the street.

He hadn't expected that this would affect him so much. He knew he wouldn't enjoy seeing Sakura after today. It would just make him think about her giving herself to Naruto with a smile on her face. He was starting to understand the frustration that Kiba had felt. If the blonde had just stayed with Hinata, he wouldn't have to face this. Sakura would have remained untainted. He was angry thinking about how Naruto had had Hinata available to him. Naruto could have done whatever he wanted to Hinata and left Sakura alone. It was hard to imagine Hinata not being receptive, and Lee wouldn't have cared one way or the other. She had only ever wanted to be with Naruto anyway. She didn't have the pure spirit that Sakura had, as fresh and clear as the river that ran through Konoha. Naruto had wanted to darken those waters. He wanted to do that stuff to Sakura instead. He had likely wanted to all along. He had always been fascinated by her, and he was not exactly a gentleman.

And Lee was sure now that the pinkette had let him. It was frustrating for him to think about how Naruto had so quickly seduced the girl that he had admired for such a long time. The blonde hadn't even seemed perturbed to find the taijutsu user in his home for no apparent reason. He had obviously gotten so close to Sakura that the suggestion of Lee being a threat to him would have been met with uproarious laughter, laughter in which Sakura would likely join in, given that she had seen no issue with inviting him inside the apartment. Despite being taller than both of them, it was unreal how small they had made him feel.

Lee wished that Neji was still alive. His friend would have been able to tell him how he was supposed to feel about this. All he knew was that Sakura couldn't be his hopeless dream anymore. She belonged to Naruto now, so from now on he would view her as being merely a very pretty girl. Naruto would continue to enjoy her while Lee would find a new target for his affections. Looking at it that way, he couldn't understand why he still felt so miserable.

As he found himself about a hundred feet away from the apartment door, he finally realized that he had left his weights behind. He turned around and walked back. As he neared the door with the intent to knock, he heard giddy conversation coming from inside.

"Oh, Naruto, that's wonderful! Don't worry. I'm sure my dad is going to love you just as much as I do."

Gai's student changed his mind. He could come back for them later.

/

After listening to Naruto explain what had happened with Kizashi, Sakura noticed the weights lying on the floor out of the corner of her eye.

"... That's strange. Lee-san left his weights here," she commented.

Naruto looked down at them as well.

"Oh... Should I grab them and go look for him?"

Sakura shook her head after a moment.

"No, you shouldn't. He's always training, so he'll notice that they're gone any minute now. Then he's probably going to come back here. So if you leave with them, you'll miss each other."

Naruto nodded and smiled softly at her.

"You're right, of course. You're so smart, Sakura-chan. You always make the best decisions."

She laughed.

"Haha... I've made some pretty terrible ones... Naruto, don't tell me that you want me to be your advisor now. Shikamaru has his heart set on that."

Naruto grinned.

"Well, I can't say I didn't consider it..."

They continued along these conversational lines for a while until Sakura frowned.

"He still hasn't returned. Why did he leave in such a hurry, anyway?"

The blonde shrugged in reply.

"I don't know... What was he doing here to begin with?"

She met his eyes with a neutral expression while she explained.

"I went outside to look for you, and he was there. I decided to catch up with him while I was waiting for you."

Naruto looked puzzled.

"I figured it was something like that, but it was just really strange. He left so quickly, and he hardly even looked at me. It was strange for him. He's usually the last one to leave."

Sakura seemed lost in thought for a few moments.

"Hmm... He left when the two of us..." Her eyes widened. "Wait! Do you think he likes me? That would explain it..."

The blonde gave her a deadpan look.

"Sakura-chan..." She raised a curious eyebrow, signalling him to continue. Naruto sighed. "Of course he likes you. You didn't know that?"

The pink-haired girl frowned.

"No... How long has he liked me?"

Naruto's eyes shifted down and to the side.

"I'm not sure. Definitely not as long as I have, but a pretty long time. Most people know about it."

She looked downtrodden at this.

"Oh... Wow... He must have been uncomfortable... If I had known, I would have handled that differently."

He looked at her with mock sadness.

"You mean you wouldn't have kissed me?"

Sakura chuckled.

"Haha... No, I still would have. But I probably wouldn't have invited him into the apartment at all... It's obvious that he didn't really want to be here..."

She had a thoughtful expression on her face. Naruto sighed in resignation.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Sakura looked up at him with soft eyes.

"Naruto..."

"Yeah?"

"I feel pretty bad. He's a really nice guy, and I did that to him just because I didn't want to be alone while I waited for you... Am I just a terrible person? It seems like all I ever do is hurt people by acting selfishly."

The blonde's eyes widened for a moment. He looked at her seriously.

"It's not your fault, Sakura-chan. If you didn't know, then you didn't know. You really didn't do anything wrong. Look, I'll go find him so that I can give him his weights back and apologize."

Now she was the one giving the deadpan look.

"What? No, don't apologize. What on earth would you be apologizing for?"

Naruto shrugged.

"I don't know. Kissing you, I guess."

Sakura groaned exasperatedly.

"Don't you dare apologize for that! Just go find him and give him his weights, then come back so that we can go get something to eat together. I'm hungry."

The blonde nodded.

"Okay."

He walked over and picked up the weights, carrying them in his left hand.

"I'll be back soon, Sakura-chan," he said with his trademark grin.

The pinkette smiled at him before he departed.


	18. Walk Away

Kiba was in his room inside the Inuzuka clan dwelling. He had woken up about an hour ago. After his encounter with Sakura and Naruto yesterday, he really felt like he had hit a low point. He was reconsidering doing what Naruto had recommended. It was possible that Hinata did have feelings for him somewhere in her heart, and given that it didn't seem like Naruto would ever leave Sakura, the dog ninja thought that she might consider pursuing them. He hurriedly threw his clothes on and went to leave his home through the main entrance, Akamaru trotting ahead of him. As he opened the door, he heard an authoritative female voice.

"Where do you think you're going?"

He spun to see his mother Tsume staring daggers at him. Her hair had started to turn gray, but she looked as fierce as ever. Having her angry at him didn't make him feel miserable like when Hinata was, but it was still something he tried to avoid at all costs.

"I'm just going out," he replied.

She raised an eyebrow.

"To do what?"

Kiba shrugged.

"I dunno. Just to look around. What's the big deal?"

"What's the 'big deal'?"

The Inuzuka head whistled and Akamaru quickly came back inside. She then appeared at Kiba's side in a flash and violently slammed the door.

"The 'big deal' is that I heard you've been acting like a fucking idiot. What do you have against Uzumaki Naruto?" she asked, fuming.

Kiba shrank back a step.

"Nothing... I'm not going to waste time on him anymore."

She rolled her eyes.

"Oh. Well, that's a shame. You're not going to keep making the Inuzuka look pathetic by attacking the next Hokage? Is there any way you could reconsider? Because you've been doing us such a great service until now."

He sighed.

"Look, I was just angry... I won't do it again."

Tsume gave him a mocking look of concern.

"Oh, you were angry? Poor little Kiba. I guess everyone should overlook what happened, since you were angry. There's a problem with that, though," Her sarcastic tone faded. "You're not a little boy. You're supposed to be the next head of this clan. The Inuzuka have never been the strongest clan in Konoha. We have the status that we have because people know what to expect from us. Lots of people saw what you did. Attacking your own comrade doesn't send a good message."

He frowned, looking quite frustrated.

"I know I screwed up. What do you want from me?"

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I want you to grow up. From what I heard, you did this because of the Hyuga girl. Because the Hyuga girl loves him, but he doesn't love her. It seems so stupid. You should have been happy, since he's so much stronger than you. You're weak. Even his woman knocked you on your ass. If Uzumaki Naruto was one of us and he did happen to want the Hyuga girl, it wouldn't matter even if she loved you. He'd just take her from you."

Kiba bared his teeth at this.

"Well... He's not one of us."

His mother's tone grew icy.

"You're lucky that he isn't. If he was, you would probably be dead. I forbid you to court that Hyuga girl from now on. I'm thinking of betrothing you to Akari."

Kiba's eyes widened.

"But she's eight years older than me..."

She growled at him.

"So what? She's fertile. You can have many children with her. Carry on the clan. That's what's important. The clan. Obviously, you've forgotten about that."

He frowned more deeply.

"Fine! I'll stay away from Hinata... Just please don't do that... May I leave now?"

Tsume shook her head.

"No. I've asked Kurenai to come over. You're not leaving until she convinces me that you aren't going to create more problems for us."

With that, she turned and walked away. The stunned Kiba could only stare at the door separating him from the outside world. He had no intention of actually staying away from Hinata, but he couldn't do anything when he was stuck here. He knew he could just open the door and leave, but that would just make things much worse for him. He stomped over to a nearby chair and sat down. Akamaru laid himself down at his feet.

/

"What are you doing here already, Lee? You didn't go for your morning run?"

Lee had arrived at the training field that him and Tenten had been using. He was supposed to arrive a half an hour later, but he wanted to start training in hopes of clearing his head. The weapons mistress was looking at him confusedly.

"No, I did... Forget about it. Let us just start training early."

Tenten, if anything, was even more confused by this.

"Sure, but aren't you going to put on your arm weights?"

Lee frowned.

"I forgot them..."

Tenten's eyes narrowed.

"You forgot them? Seriously?"

"Yes..."

She stared at him blankly. Lee grew uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Tenten?" he said.

"Yes?" she replied airily.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

She tilted her head at him.

"I'm wondering who this imposter is that's pretending to be my teammate. Since when does Rock Lee forget to wear his weights?"

He looked down sullenly.

"I would rather not talk about it."

Tenten's expression grew frustrated.

"Okay, fine. You don't have to tell me what happened. Just go get them and come back."

Lee looked up at her with a sheepish expression.

"I... Uh... Do not want to...?"

Her eye twitched. She took a step closer to him.

"You don't want to?! Why wouldn't you want to?! What the hell-"

Tenten was interrupted by a male voice which was more high-pitched than Lee's. The two of them turned to look.

"Hey, Lee... I've been looking all over... Here, I have your weights," Naruto said, appearing out of a nearby grove of trees.

The atmosphere was awkward as Tenten waited for Lee to say something. Naruto walked up to Lee and held the weights out to him. Lee stared at them for a few moments before reaching out to take them. Without a word, he slowly started to put them on.

"There you go. Uh... I guess I should leave, now," the blonde continued.

Tenten looked over at Lee exasperatedly.

"Aren't you going to thank him? He came all the way here and everything... Seriously, what's wrong with you today?"

Naruto shook his head.

"It was nothing. Lee, I hope everything is alright with you... Well..."

He hemmed and hawed for a bit. Lee decided that he needed to say something or Tenten was going to lose it on him, so he replied after thinking for a moment.

"Everything is fine. I believe you said you were going to leave?"

It came out much more coldly than he had intended. Naruto paled. Tenten grabbed the martial artist by his collar.

"WHAT?! How could you be so rude?" She looked over at the blonde. "Naruto, I'm really sorry! I don't know why he's being like this."

Lee found himself getting frustrated at the sight of Naruto. When he left, he was just going to go back to doing whatever he wanted to Sakura. He couldn't stand looking at him with that in mind.

"Enough... Naruto-kun, just walk away. I am trying not to do or say what I really desire to because Gai-sensei owes his life to you... But if you remain here, I cannot promise that I will be able to remain civil," he stated, Tenten still holding him.

Seeing the expression on his face, the bun-haired girl released him and took a few steps back. She realized this could be very bad.

"Lee... What happened to you...?" she muttered mostly to herself.

Naruto was also getting frustrated. Everyone seemed to be turning on him just because he loved Sakura. He never thought that being with Sakura would mean sacrificing all of his other friends, but he was ready to do that if he had to.

"Fine... I guess you hate me too, now. Can you at least leave Sakura-chan out of it? She didn't do anything wrong. I just want people to focus their anger on me and leave her alone."

Tenten's eyes were darting between the two of them. She saw that Lee looked even more agitated at this. She felt like she should have guessed that this had something to do with Sakura. She couldn't think of anything else that these two would fight about.

"You are placing yourself on the high ground again, just like when you fought against Neji. I was very inspired by that. I thought you were like me... But I eventually came to understand that you are not."

The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

Lee's eyes narrowed.

"To me, a hard worker is a ninja with little natural talent, compensating for that with great effort... You are not that kind of ninja."

Naruto frowned.

"But I've had to work hard for everything... Nothing was easy for me."

Lee sighed bitterly.

"But you are very gifted. You were born with power that no one could hope to match. You got stronger so rapidly... Your innate gifts helped you to achieve many incredible things. And now, no one in this village could defeat you no matter how much they trained. You are probably a greater genius than Neji was... I still saw you as a friend and comrade, but right now I feel like I cannot even look at you... Please, just go," he stated tiredly.

Naruto looked at him imploringly.

"Lee, I don't care about being a genius. I only care about Sakura-chan. Since you do too, can't we try to be friends anyway?"

"I doubt it... Now that Neji is gone, I can never defeat him like I always wanted to... And now Sakura-san has given herself to you as a prize, because as a genius, you deserve it... So I can no longer even dream of her lovely smile ever meaning anything more than an affirmation of friendship," Lee's expression grew more pained. "I have lost irrevocably. There is no way for me to try to win the next time. There will be no next time in either case. My defeat is final. I am sorry, but I cannot keep up this facade of being happy with that, because I am not..."

Naruto looked down in thought, brow deeply furrowed. It was true that Sakura always went on about how deserving he was.

"But Sakura-chan isn't a prize... She's a person. It was her choice... Right?"

Lee chuckled hollowly. They both failed to notice that Tenten had disappeared.

"Ha... Now you're asking me? I don't know... What I do know is that you were able to get everything that you wanted because you are a genius, Naruto-kun. Hard work can never overcome genius. Neji died believing that he was wrong about that. After losing to you, he swallowed his pride and told me that he had been wrong, when he was right to begin with. He died believing that lie that I kept shouting in his ear. That pains me so much to think about. And why did he die? It clearly was not so that Hinata-san could be happy with you," He took a deep, frustrated breath. "Did my best friend die so that I would feel this way? To punish me for my hubris? I simply struggle to understand why this world is the way it is. I should have been the one who died. Neji was a greater ninja and a better man than I am..."

The green-suited ninja sighed with an air of finality. He had no desire to speak any more about these things. Naruto had been watching him with widened eyes.

"It does not matter. Go back to Sakura-san... I do not have those feelings for her anymore. You need not worry about me," Lee finished.

The blonde frowned. He felt terrible about Neji, so he understood the pain that Lee was experiencing. But that had made no sense to him.

"But why?"

Lee frowned as well.

"What do you mean, why?"

Naruto's expression grew frustrated.

"Why don't you feel that way about her anymore? If you liked her when she loved Sasuke, then why would you stop liking her just because she loves me?"

Lee didn't want to explain. He felt he had said too many ugly things already. He didn't understand why Naruto wouldn't simply leave.

"... Forget it. Please, just leave."

The blonde's gaze turned icy.

"No... I don't think I will. I've been trying to be understanding because I know you must feel bad, but you say all that and then you say that you don't even like her anymore? What happened to make you not like her all of a sudden?"

Lee was at his wit's end with Naruto's insistence on remaining here against his wishes. He had seen that Tenten was gone, so he felt like he could say what he wanted.

"You happened! I cannot stand how you are taking advantage of this slavish love that she has for you, just because you have the opportunity to do so. She used to be so innocent. I can never look at her the same way knowing that you are..."

Naruto had an uneasy expression. He wondered if Lee was right. Sakura had been vulnerable and she really needed him. She said that being close to him made her happy, but it was possible that she wouldn't have decided to do that with him if she had been more secure in herself. He had always thought of her as innocent also. He allowed her to sacrifice that even when he knew that she cared too much about him to make any other decision.

The blonde recalled when they had returned from the mission. He didn't think he would ever forget how she had looked in the morning sun, the light reflecting off of her pink hair as it cascaded down to her delicate shoulders. It had shimmered so brightly against her pale skin that it seemed as if it were on fire. She had been so radiant that it scared him. But he hadn't seen that she was nervous too, maybe even more nervous than he was.

"...Doing whatever you want with her, as if she is your plaything. You have disgraced Sakura-san, who was so beautiful and charming... Because of you, it feels like there is nothing special about her anymore," Lee continued in a pained tone.

Naruto's mental image of Sakura smiled at him reassuringly.

"What did you say just now?" he asked quietly.

Lee glared at him incredulously.

"Do you care so little that you will not even listen? I said that it feels like there is nothing-"

Naruto dashed towards Lee and punched him in the face. The martial artist stumbled and fell, clutching his left cheek. He looked up at Naruto with surprise and anger.

"If you want to fight, at least give me a chance to take off my weights... I thought you had more honor than to strike when someone's guard is down," he muttered.

"Shut up," Naruto spat. "I know that I'm her weakness... I know that I'm benefiting from that... But you don't have any right to say that about Sakura-chan. What do you know? You don't understand how amazing she is. You never did... You never even tried to understand! You would just randomly run up to her and say something idiotic," He turned away to gaze off into the distance. "You never took the time to really get to know her... To learn how smart and funny she is... How kind and caring she is... She has the most beautiful soul of anyone I know..."

Lee watched Naruto blankly as he pulled himself to his feet. The indignant blonde turned to face him again, ice-blue eyes flashing.

"If you knew her like I do, you would NEVER say that! You would never say that she was worth less as a person just because of something that I did... There are so many wonderful things about her. Sakura-chan even cares about YOU! She thinks that you're her friend. She felt bad that she didn't understand what was going on with you..." he finished bitterly.

Lee remembered how Sakura had told him to take care of himself. He felt guilty, but he didn't feel like he could back down after Naruto had hit him. Removing his hand from his face, he fixed Naruto with a cold stare.

"Unfortunately... I will never be so lucky as to be able to know her the way you do."

Naruto scowled.

"I don't care! Take it back. And apologize to Sakura-chan like you said you would... Or I'm never going to forgive you."

Lee had forgotten that he was supposed to apologize to Sakura. That was another thing that he felt like he now couldn't do, simply because it was Naruto who wanted him to do it. He wanted to make it difficult for Naruto to get what he wanted in this instance, since everything else seemed to be going his way.

"Fine, I will, if you can defeat me in a spar."

Naruto tilted his head at him.

"Seriously? No offense, but we both know that wouldn't be a contest. You can't use the Eight Gates in a spar."

"I will not use them... But it will be taijutsu only."

Now, Naruto wondered if it would be no contest the other way around. He was very good in taijutsu, but that was when he was using clones. Without them, he would be average at best. He had done many things that people never expected him to be able to do, but defeating Lee under these conditions would be up there with any of them.

"Don't you think that's a little unfair?"

Lee chuckled sadly.

"A lot of things are unfair... Like the fact that I cannot even use most ninja arts while people like you and Uchiha Sasuke seem to have limitless power. Those are my conditions. You do not have to accept."

The blonde frowned deeply. He knew he shouldn't agree to this. It would be so difficult to win. He knew that if Sakura were here, she'd tell him not to do it because he might get hurt. But he was angry that Lee had said that about her after she had felt so bad for him. He wanted to teach him a lesson.

"Fine... Are you ready to start right now?"

Lee wordlessly began to remove his weights, throwing them off to the side where they came to rest under a small tree. After he had finished, he turned to face Naruto and gave a shallow bow, which Naruto returned out of habit.

"We have no referee, so I will wait for you to make the first attack. Good luck... Naruto."

Naruto nodded. They both assumed their fighting stances. A few seconds later, the blonde attacked Lee in a similar fashion to when he had done so earlier. As Lee was ready and unburdened this time, he dodged it easily. Naruto continued his assault undeterred. He figured that his best chance was to tire Lee out with his naturally superior stamina and endurance. However, it was awkward for him to try and break through Lee's solid defense. Without clones, his attacks were far too straightforward to work on someone of Lee's caliber. It didn't help that he hadn't been training lately. He was always studying or spending time with Sakura. He was more than a little rusty.

Lee found an opening and quickly launched a kick at Naruto, which he was able to block at the last moment. Sliding a few feet away, he barely managed to defend as Lee continued attacking. He had no idea how he was going to turn this around without the use of jutsu. Lee's attacks didn't leave any gaps. With each strike, he was evading later and later. He felt like it was inevitable that he was going to get hit.

Naruto went to dodge another kick and realized too late that it had been a feint. Lee's eyes lit up as he saw that his tactic had worked. He threw a heavy punch at Naruto's face. The blonde was off-balance and it was clear he wasn't going to be able to guard. He was about to be struck in the same spot that Lee had been hit earlier.

Lee's fist connected with a flat piece of wood which broke into two pieces. He saw Naruto standing several feet away. His cheek was swollen, but he had used Kawarimi in time to avoid much of the damage. Lee's expression contorted with rage. He was about to attack Naruto again when he heard a deep male voice.

"LEE!"

The voice was weaker than it used to be, but Lee still felt his spine straighten like it always had. He froze in his tracks, looking over to see that his master Gai had arrived on the training field, his wheelchair being pushed by an embarrassed-looking Tenten.

"Gai-sensei..." Lee replied with wide eyes.

Tenten stopped pushing Gai when they were a few feet away. Then Gai turned his head and whispered something to her. Tenten nodded and continued to push Gai towards Lee until he was right next to him.

Gai had a stern expression on his face. The frozen Lee blinked a few times.

"You fool!" Gai bellowed.

He reached up and socked Lee across the face, sending him flying to the ground. Tenten rolled Gai over to where Lee had landed.

"You know you are not to abuse your fist in this way! I was too lax in releasing you from my care. It is clear that you still need my guidance. We will have to start from the beginning again."

Lee gaped at him in shock.

"But, Gai-sensei... Is this really such a great setback?"

"Silence! We must start all over. If we do not, then I will have failed as your master. Is that what you want?"

"No..."

Lee moved to get up, but Gai pushed him back down onto the ground.

"Then we will start with five hundred sit-ups. Begin!"

Lee quickly assumed the position and began to do sit-ups at a rapid pace. Naruto was watching the scene with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. He still wanted Lee to retract what he had said, but he couldn't interfere with Gai when he was involved with his life's mission. He finally decided it was time for him to leave. He turned and started walking away, stopping when he saw a familiar face in the distance.

/

When Lee finished the exercises, he stood and faced Gai with a stiff posture. Tenten had decided to leave since Lee and Gai had gone back to their old ways.

"What is next, Gai-sensei?"

Gai stroked his chin contemplatively.

"We must talk first. Why did you choose to fight?"

Lee looked down in thought.

"I was fighting for my pride... Gai-sensei, you taught me that a man's pride is very important."

The older man sighed deeply.

"It is... But how does one restore their pride through a fight?"

Lee looked puzzled. The answer seemed so obvious.

"By winning...?"

Gai nodded sagely.

"Indeed. A loss will cause further damage to one's pride. So a man should fight for his pride only when he has a chance to win."

Lee frowned. He didn't understand how Gai could be under the impression that he had had no chance. He knew he must have seen at least the end of the fight.

"But I was going to win... If anything, I won by default. Naruto-kun cheated by using Kawarimi no Jutsu."

His master shook his head, his expression turning solemn.

"You did not win. This battle was one that you should never have fought, Lee. For that, I am truly sorry."

Lee's eyes widened in shock.

"But, Gai-sensei... Tell me why..."

Gai's arm, now lean as a result of his disability, rose up to point towards the center of the training field. Lee turned to look and saw that Sakura had shown up. She was approaching Naruto with a look of concern. When she had arrived at his side, they spoke quietly as she raised a glowing hand to the blonde's face.

Lee stared at her with mixed emotions. He was too far away to hear what they were saying. After some time, Sakura finally glanced in his direction only to turn away without acknowledging him. His heart sank. He had feared that she would glare at him, but this was somehow worse. He had always known that she would never love him, but he needed her to at least care about him, to consider him a friend. He realized that he had lied to Naruto about not feeling anything for her. As a result, he was forced to acknowledge that Naruto was right.

Haruno Sakura was so uniquely beautiful that she could not be tainted.

He didn't feel like his pride was that important anymore. He wanted to talk to her, to explain, to apologize if that was what she wanted him to do. He didn't want her to keep ignoring him. He knew he wouldn't be able to bear her treating him like a stranger, like she didn't even know him. But as he made a move towards them, he felt a force pulling at the back of his uniform. He turned around with the intention of asking Gai to release him, but the words died in his throat when he saw how grim his master's expression was.

"You must not. This battle was your choice to enter into. A man must live with his choices. He cannot take them back so easily and remain a man."

Lee turned back to where Sakura had been standing. He could only see her back as she had begun to walk away. Naruto was trailing about a foot behind her. The pinkette stopped and extended an arm, offering her shoulder to him so that he could lean on it a little.

Konoha's Green Beast suddenly felt very tired. He knew Gai had been correct. He hadn't won anything.


	19. Warmth

_Sorry to everyone who's really wanted me to update. I've had most of this chapter written for a while so I finished it for you guys. I still care about this story and I'll update it again, I just can't promise that will happen soon. I hope this doesn't end up being a major letdown for people._

 _I want to extend my appreciation to everyone who has expressed an interest in my writing. Also my best wishes to everyone who I've personally corresponded with here on FFN, I hope you all keep writing or reading, whichever your prerogative is._

 _I'll try to not have this be a final AN even though it sounds like one._ _Thanks for reading._

 _/_

As soon as Naruto shut the door after leaving, Sakura had a bad feeling. She knew Naruto would probably try to talk to Lee anyway, and though Lee was their friend, she worried about what might happen. She never wanted anything to happen to him, especially when he was just trying to make her feel better.

She went to follow him out the door, but he was already gone. She looked around the vicinity but didn't find him. Thinking for a while, she remembered where Team Gai's training field was located. The pinkette figured that Lee must have decided to go meet Tenten there, so she headed in that direction. She really hoped she was just worrying over nothing.

When she was a block away, she saw something strange as she rounded the corner. Tenten was pushing Gai in his wheelchair at top speed. They might have coliided with her, but Sakura quickly jumped out of the way.

"HALT!" Gai shouted.

The pair stopped, both of them eyeing the pinkette.

"Sakura... What are you doing here?" Tenten asked.

"Oh, I was just-" Sakura began to reply.

"That is not important now. My student Lee needs my guidance in this youthful time. Sakura-kun, it will be more difficult for him if you are there. Please wait here and allow me to handle it," Gai stated authoritatively.

Sakura looked down and to one side.

"But I don't even know what's going on... Did something happen with him and Naruto?"

"I shall make sure that they do not come to harm. You may follow after a few minutes."

With that, he nudged Tenten and they both sped off towards the training field without waiting for Sakura to reply. She decided that she would give Gai two minutes. At times like these, she wished she was a sensor.

When she felt like enough time had elapsed, she quickly walked towards the training field. As she arrived, she saw Naruto standing alone in the center of it while Lee and Gai seemed to be training several yards away. Everything looked normal. She didn't understand why Gai and Tenten had acted like there was a crisis.

Naruto turned to look at her as she approached. She smiled at him, then frowned when she noticed the bruise on his face. She quickly closed the remaining distance with him.

"Sakura-chan..." the blonde uttered.

"Naruto, you're hurt... What happened here?" she said with concern. She raised a softly glowing hand to his cheek. The bruise started to fade quickly.

Naruto frowned.

"Nothing, really... I was about to head back."

"I was going to wait for you, but I had a really bad feeling right away. It took me a while to get here, though, because Gai-sensei told me to wait for some reason..." She briefly glanced over in Lee's direction. "Lee-san did this to you...? But why...?"

The blonde sighed.

"We had a disagreement about something, so we ended up sparring... Don't worry about it, okay? Let's go see your parents."

Sakura nodded reluctantly.

They both turned and started to walk off, but Naruto was lagging behind. She stopped and turned to look at him.

"Naruto, what's wrong?"

He looked back at her wearily.

"I feel kinda tired. I guess I'm out of shape... I need to train more."

Sakura's eyes widened in worry.

"Let's just go back home, then. You should rest."

Naruto frowned.

"But we were supposed to go get the rest of your stuff..."

Sakura shook her head.

"That's okay, we can do it tomorrow. You can't lug my stuff around for me if you're tired. Let's just go back. I mean it, Naruto. Come on," she said hurriedly.

She extended an arm to offer him support, which he quickly accepted. Then the pair slowly walked off, neither noticing the sullen Lee gazing after them as they departed.

/

They had walked home in silence. Many people stared at the pinkette as she walked while holding the taller and much heavier blonde to her side protectively, but she was too worried about him to notice. He had said he was tired, and since she couldn't find anything physically wrong with him, she hoped that he'd recover after a nap.

When they arrived back at the apartment, Sakura opened the still-unlocked door. Naruto smiled weakly at her. She let him cross the threshold on his own power, but quickly hurried him into the bedroom.

"You need to rest. Take your clothes off and get in the bed," the pinkette ordered.

Naruto wasn't sure that he needed to, but he really didn't feel like arguing.

"Okay, Sakura-chan," he replied. He did as she ordered, taking his jacket, shirt and pants off before climbing into the bed and pulling the sheet over himself. "I wish I could've moved the rest of your stuff for you, though."

Sakura gave him a pointed, humorless glance.

"I already told you that it's okay. We can go tomorrow. The important thing is that you weren't seriously hurt. That's the only thing that matters to me."

Naruto smiled faintly at her. He knew how much she cared about him, but it was nice to hear it anyway.

"Yeah... Thanks, Sakura-chan."

Sakura was standing rigidly at the side of the bed as if she was attending to a patient at the hospital.

"So are you feeling alright? Are you hungry? I could make something, or I could even go out and buy something for you. Would you like that?"

The blonde shook his head.

"Nah, I'm fine."

She nodded.

"Okay... I guess I should go tell my mom and dad we won't be coming by today... And since we aren't, I might as well check to see how things are going at the hospital," She finally dropped her serious manner, relieved and happy that he wasn't fighting her on this. She gave him a goofy smile. "I'll probably be an hour or two. You'll be okay here without your caring girlfriend, right?"

Naruto almost blurted out 'No,' but managed to stop himself. He felt like that would be ridiculous. He wasn't even really hurt at all. She had healed his face completely. But more than just feeling weary from the fight, he felt unsure and troubled. It seemed like his friends kept turning on him. The pinkette was the only one he knew would stand by him. She was like his rock, but without any jagged edges.

But he couldn't bring himself to ask her to remain, to have her tend to him just because he was feeling insecure. He smiled weakly and nodded.

"Yeah..."

Sakura adopted a serious expression again.

"Good... Please don't get up while I'm gone. I want you to rest until I get back, at least."

"Okay, I won't."

There was an awkward moment as they both gazed at each other for a little too long. Sakura realized that if she didn't leave now, she was never going to.

"Alright... I'll be back soon."

They exchanged a last glance before the pinkette turned and left. Naruto rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. He wanted to follow her instructions, since it was important to her.

As the minutes passed, they felt to the blonde like hours.

/

Back at the Inuzuka residence, Kiba was still sulking in his chair. Tsume was reading a newspaper as she sat in a sofa across from him. He had tried to get her to see reason, but it was like talking to a wall. She wasn't even responding to him.

There was a polite knock at the door. When Kiba stood up to go open it, his mother finally acknowledged him. She gave him a pointed look that meant that he should sit back down or else. Kiba had no fight left in him and slumped back into the chair.

His mother went to open the door.

"Thanks for coming. Come on in," she said gruffly.

"I came as soon as I could, Inuzuka-san... Can you watch Mirai-chan for me?" came the voice of Kurenai from outside.

"Sure, I remember how to take care of a little kid. Sometimes, it feels like I never stopped."

The Inuzuka woman grimaced as she said this. Kurenai smiled nervously.

"Okay, thank you."

The dark-haired woman handed the black-haired toddler over to Tsume to hold as she entered the building. She stood next to the older Inuzuka as both women turned to face Kiba. Tsume gave her son a death glare.

"I'll leave him to you."

Kurenai nodded without shifting her gaze from Kiba. Kiba's mother walked into the kitchen with the baby. Kiba looked up at his sensei miserably.

"Kurenai-sensei, this is really unnecessary. You didn't have to be here."

Kurenai frowned lightly before sitting down across from Kiba in the same spot that Tsume had been in. She felt the residual warmth that Tsume had left behind.

"Kiba, I wanted to be here. I understand it's been a long time since you were a Genin, and I don't serve as a ninja of Konoha anymore, but I like to think that you, Shino, and Hinata will always be my students. Do you not feel the same way?"

Kiba's eyes widened.

"No, I do... It's just that this is so embarrassing."

She tilted her head at him.

"Why is it embarrassing?"

Kiba looked down at the carpet with slightly reddened cheeks.

"Because it's as if I'm a child who did something wrong..."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow.

"From what your mother said, you did do something wrong," Kiba didn't react to this. His former sensei frowned deeply. "Kiba, look at me."

He looked up at her awkwardly.

"If you show me the respect that you always did, then I won't treat you like a child. Just explain to me what happened, and we'll go from there."

"Well, I attacked Naruto because I was angry..."

Kurenai nodded.

"Okay, what else?"

Kiba shrugged.

"That's it, really."

The dark-haired woman frowned.

"That's it? That's all you did wrong?"

"Uh... Yeah?"

Her frown deepened.

"Kiba, what did I just tell you?"

"That I should treat you respectfully..."

She gave the stupefied Kiba a deadpan look.

"Yes. I'm not stupid, Kiba. I know everything. I talk to Hinata all the time."

He nodded dumbly.

"Oh... Okay..."

"So we both know that that wasn't the only thing you did wrong. Hinata told me about how she found out about Naruto and Sakura's relationship. She didn't understand why you would have told her something like that. Because she already knew how Naruto felt about Sakura. She couldn't see any reason why you would tell her that other than you simply wanted to cause her pain. She asked me why you would want to hurt her like that. What should I have told her, Kiba?"

Kiba gulped. He began to sweat, not knowing what he should say, as he didn't want to reveal the truth to Kurenai.

"Oh... Uh..."

Kurenai sighed.

"Kiba, calm down. It was obvious why you did that. I've always known about your feelings for her. And no, I didn't tell her," Kiba's face took on an expression of relief. Kurenai narrowed her eyes at him. "But it was still wrong, Kiba. And it was useless... Even if you got her to hate Naruto, that wouldn't mean she would suddenly love you. It doesn't work that way."

The Inuzuka didn't respond, only gazing down miserably as Kurenai continued.

"So you have to stop acting like this. You're only alienating yourself from your comrades. Do you understand?"

"Yes..." Kiba replied quietly.

Kiba didn't even notice as Kurenai stood up.

"Good. I'm going to go, then. I'll tell your mother that you aren't going to do that kind of thing anymore. So please don't. If you do, not only it will reflect very badly on me, but I won't be able to help you anymore."

He finally looked up at her.

"Okay... Uh... Do you think it would be all right if I told Hinata that I..."

Kiba trailed off as he saw her face fall at his words.

"I don't know if it would change anything. Maybe in the future, things might change," She smiled wistfully. "It's not like I always loved Asuma... Sometimes these things take time, Kiba. A long time. If you're not serious about Hinata, please just stop making things harder for her. But if you are, it might be worth it in the end."

He managed a weak smile at this.

"Okay. I'll do my best..."

The older woman nodded.

"That's great, Kiba. Just give it time. Although a lot of great shinobi came out of your class at the academy, I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to replace the three of you. I'm still so proud of you all."

She smiled gently at him before turning to go talk with Tsume. Kiba sighed before leaning down to pet Akamaru's fur. He hoped that there was some truth in her words.

/

Sakura returned to the apartment after a little more than an hour and a half. She had been delayed, having taken some time to advise a pair of new medical ninja at the hospital. Then she had taken the time to fill a large bag with some more of her things, including her books and scrolls. After entering through the front door, she removed her shoes and put the bag on the kitchen table before going into the bedroom to check on Naruto.

She saw that he seemed to have fallen asleep. She smiled at this and went to retrieve one of her medical books from her bag. She didn't want Naruto to be alone when he woke up. Returning to the bedroom, she carefully laid down next to him on top of the sheet, still fully dressed. Resting her head on a pillow, she settled in and started reading the book.

After a long while, Naruto woke up. As he opened his eyes and felt a presence next to him, he turned his head and saw Sakura calmly reading her book. He smiled contentedly.

"Sakura-chan," the blonde said.

She turned to look at him.

"Hi there," she replied, a cheeky grin on her face.

"You could've woken me up if you wanted to..."

The pinkette shook her head.

"Nah... I think you were just exhausted. You needed that nap. Besides, you looked so peaceful, Naruto."

Naruto chuckled.

"Haha... Man, today really didn't go well, did it?"

Sakura shrugged.

"It's fine. My mom said we can come back tomorrow. It's not a big deal. I'm just glad you weren't hurt."

The blonde sighed.

"I need to train more... I've been too busy with other things to do that."

Sakura gave him a tentative nod.

"Maybe we could train together? Or would I slow you down too much?"

Naruto frowned. He hated it when she assumed that she wouldn't be of any use to him, because not even once had that been the case.

"What? You could never slow me down. You're actually an amazing fighter. If everything else was equal, you would destroy me on technique."

The pinkette raised an eyebrow.

"You mean in taijutsu? Maybe... But even without Kurama helping you, couldn't you just use Sage Mode? I wouldn't be able to touch you."

Naruto shrugged.

"Well..." He grinned playfully. "You hit so hard that all you'd have to do is hit me once, and I wouldn't get up again. It isn't that hard to hit someone once."

Sakura inhaled sharply at this, her eyebrows shooting up.

"But I would never hit you that hard... Who the hell cares about winning a stupid spar...?!" She reached out and gently brushed a lock of hair off of his forehead. "I couldn't bear it if I really hurt you, Naruto..."

His grin faded and his eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't meant to disturb her.

"But, Sakura-chan... You know I feel the same way, so that's not really an advantage for me, right?"

"Well..." She didn't meet his eyes, still idly grooming him. "I have to be realistic, Naruto. I know what you can do. Even if you actually let me attack the real you, you're still much faster than me. So you would be able to hit me at least a few times before I even came close to hitting you. Assuming neither of us were dealing any real damage to each other, you'd just beat me on points."

The blonde grinned again.

"Yeah, but I don't think I could make myself hit you at all. I'd have to tell my clones to do it, but even they would probably dispel themselves rather than hurt you."

Sakura chuckled and retracted her hand from him.

"Haha... Maybe we shouldn't fight each other."

Naruto laughed as well, stopping when he thought of something.

"Did you ever manage to get something to eat...?"

She nodded.

"Yeah, I made some ramen a while ago. Do you want some?"

His eyes shifted down and away from her for a second.

"Maybe later..."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. It was strange for him to refuse an offer of food.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

The blonde shrugged.

"I'm fine, Sakura-chan... I just don't really feel like eating."

She was gazing at him with concern.

"Well, do you feel bad about what happened? I thought Lee-san was a good friend... I was shocked when you told me he wanted to fight you."

Naruto sighed deeply.

"That's not what I said... He really didn't. At least not at first. I kinda started it."

Sakura's eyes widened, her voice raising an octave.

"What? I can't believe that... Why?"

"He said something about you that I didn't like."

"Oh," The pinkette's features became upset. "Naruto, don't do that! I don't care what anyone thinks of me. Let people say what they want. It's not worth it. Don't get into trouble over something stupid like this again."

Naruto looked at her blankly, blinking a few times.

"But... You don't understand. It was-"

She shook her head, a pained expression on her face.

"That stuff doesn't matter to me, Naruto. Please, you don't understand how much I would hate myself if you got seriously hurt because of me again... What did he say, anyway?"

"Well... He said that you, uh..." Naruto grimaced. "... aren't special, now."

Sakura did a double take.

"What? Seriously? That's what got you so angry? That sounds so stupid. I was imagining something really horrible."

Naruto looked down in thought for a moment before meeting her eyes again.

"Well, you're right. It doesn't sound so bad like that."

The pinkette looked pensive.

"So Lee-san used to think I was special, kind of like how you think of me, but now that I'm with you, I'm not? That's what he meant?"

"Um... Yeah, I guess."

He didn't want to explain it more than he had to. Sakura frowned.

"Well, that's pretty mean, but it's also dumb. You know he's wrong, so how could that have pissed you off so much?"

Naruto sighed.

"I dunno. I guess you just had to be there."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe I should have been. I don't think Lee-san would have had the guts to say anything to my face. I'm really disappointed. If he had feelings for me, he should have known that I wouldn't be happy about this. It'll be a while before I can forgive him."

"You should forgive him if he asks you to... I don't want you to lose any friends because of me."

"Forget about it, Naruto. I don't need a friend who resents the way I feel. I'm so happy and I feel so good about myself when I'm with you. I mean, that's why we moved so fast, right? I'm sorry if that hurt him, but I don't think it's my fault and it definitely isn't yours... Ugh, never mind," She sighed languidly. "This should have been a time to celebrate. There's no war... No one wants to take Kurama out of you, killing you so that I'll never be happy again... All I want is for the two of us to be happy together after all the pain we've been through. If someone doesn't want that to happen... Then I don't want anything to do with them. I'm sorry if that sounds cold, but-"

Naruto couldn't help but interrupt, his expression turning dismayed.

"But, Sakura-chan, you have to understand that it was my fault too... It might even have been all my fault... I could have been-"

The pinkette shook her head.

"I don't have time to worry about whose fault it was. Even if you were entirely to blame, and I don't believe that for a second, I know you must have had a good reason. You aren't the kind of person to hurt someone for no reason. You hate hurting people. So he can apologize to _you_ , or you can both apologize to each other, I don't really care which. But I can't be his friend until that happens. Because even if I were to overlook it being about us, he got into a fight with you. He could have really hurt you. I can't be friends with someone like that."

Naruto sighed. Sakura really cared for him, the ninja known as Naruto, but she cared for his welfare more. This care was central to their relationship, but it was also bigger than it. He couldn't change that even if he wanted to.

"Fine, Sakura-chan. Argh... It is so messed up that this keeps happening. When I saved the village from Pain, that was the first time that I really believed I could be Hokage, because everyone was supporting me. But first Kiba, and now Lee... How am I supposed to be the Hokage if everyone hates me?"

Sakura looked at him wide-eyed. She had been so preoccupied with how she felt that she had forgotten to think about how events might be affecting him.

"They'll get over it, Naruto... They have to understand that you didn't do anything wrong."

He didn't seem convinced.

"I hope so..."

She winced, cursing herself.

"Don't worry," She forced a smile. "I'm sure they will! I know no one could ever really hate you, Naruto. You're too incredible. You became friends with Kurama and saved everyone... You even saved Sasuke-kun when he didn't want to be saved... I truly believe that you're the only one who could have done those things. You're my hero. You know that, right?"

He smiled weakly back at her.

"Yeah... You told me."

Elated that he didn't forget, Sakura's smile changed to take on its signature warmth.

"Oh, Naruto! You remembered..."

Naruto found it almost blinding to look at. This was one of those times when seeing how wonderful she was had the side effect of reminding him how easily he could have lost her. He had gotten lucky that things had worked out like this. He didn't know what he would have done if they hadn't.

The pinkette noticed his blue eyes narrowing painfully.

"Naruto," she said. It would have been hard to quantify exactly how much meaning was embedded in those three syllables, but it was a lot.

She silently ran her fingers through his hair as she was accustomed to doing. When she felt some of his tension dissipate, she turned back to her book with a content expression. She knew that he knew he could talk to her about anything, so she decided to wait until he was ready.

While Naruto had known how painful it was to love her while believing she would never love him back, being with her was in a way more frightening. Because back then, he had wondered how he was going to deal with the pain of having to live without her; now he simply knew that he couldn't.

She was such a great girl. No, she was completely irreplaceable in his life. No one else could be what she was to him. She meant everything. He wanted to tell her that, wanted to tell her something at least, but no words were coming out. The distance between them was only a few inches, but it felt like miles.

"Sakura..." he finally said in a low voice.

The pinkette turned to look at him. Her eyes widened upon seeing his facial expression.

"Naruto, what's the matter with you? Please," she prompted urgently.

"I'd like to..." He gulped, a bit of awkward humor returning to him. "Well, you know... Do you, um, feel like doing that?"

She tilted her head at him for a moment before replying.

"Naruto... You're saying you want to make love?"

He blushed.

"Er... is that okay? You don't have to."

The pinkette silently gazed back at him with a neutral expression. He would have given anything to know what she was thinking. This was one time when he didn't know if he could handle being rejected. He hoped that she wouldn't ask him why. He would feel pathetic explaining that he just wanted to have her close to him because he needed reassurance, because he needed her to be here.

But Sakura was so much smarter than him. She probably figured that out without him having to tell her. His cheeks were getting really hot.

After what felt like an eternity to the blonde, she replied.

"Of course it is," She finally smiled. "It's a chance to show you how I feel about you, and I always want to do that. But there's one condition."

 _... Don't ever stop calling me Sakura-chan._

Naruto's eyes widened.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?"

She grabbed his arm and squeezed, shaking a little.

"You have to promise that you'll cheer up!"

He smiled weakly again.

"Okay... I promise."

Sakura smiled back. She knew he never broke a promise. Naruto moved to sit up, but she gently rested a hand on his chest.

"Stay like that for me, Naruto. It can be like it was the first time."

Naruto only nodded. She reached over and put her book on top of the dresser before standing up off the bed.

The pinkette began to pull down the zippers on her vest and shorts, humming quietly as she did. Naruto was observing her with a tentative expression. After she had finished, she turned to look at him. The white of her undergarments could be glimpsed through where the outer layer had parted.

Her smile disappeared. She knew he was probably worried about seeming too eager now. It hurt to think that he was scared that she'd think he only pursued this out of an interest in her body. Because whenever she saw how he really felt about her, she felt like she would never be worthy of it. But she knew that his feelings were similar. He didn't think he deserved special treatment from anyone. She wanted him to see that he was wrong.

"Naruto, I promise everything's okay. You and me... We're comfortable around each other, and we trust each other... And we're alone. So we can do what we want here," Sakura said quietly. She leaned downward and put a hand to his cheek. "I know how much you care about me... It really is fine, Naruto."

Something seemed to occur to him.

"Well, it's just..."

She suddenly let go of him and stood up straight, still disheveled, her knees against the side of the mattress. Alarmed, he sat up as well and this time she didn't stop him.

He saw her move her hand to press four fingers against her bare collarbone.

"My body belongs to me, Naruto. It's my choice what I do with it. You don't have any right to tell me whether something is wrong or not. Neither does Lee or anyone else. Only I can decide that. And I really felt like... No, I knew I wanted you to be able to have this. So it really hurts to think that you might have felt like you didn't even deserve it."

"It's just that I wouldn't have asked you to do that. I would never have pressured you. Even if you wanted to wait until we were married, I'd still have loved you just the same."

"I know you would have. You're too sweet to do anything else. But that wasn't what I wanted, Naruto. I don't need to guarantee a commitment from you because I'm already committed. It's already too late for me. No matter what happens, you'll still be the most important person in my life. That's just how it is," She reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, causing it to loosen. "I couldn't change it even if I wanted to."

She grasped his hand and pulled it up and under the white garment so that it covered her left breast. He could feel her heart beating steadily.

"Don't think that I'm weird for this... It's just that you are so important to me, Naruto. I think I could live ten more lifetimes after this one and I'd never meet anyone that I care for as deeply as I care for you. I just want to be there for you any way I can. So please don't worry about this anymore. It hurts me... Because, I just really want us to be... I want... I... Damn it," she continued, looking very frustrated. She tugged his hand away from her modest bosom and brought it to her mouth. Her eyes closed and she kissed the center of his palm, pressing it into her lips.

A little moisture had welled up in the corners of her eyes and she shut them more tightly. "Love you..." she finally muttered, almost inaudibly.

For Naruto, this was exactly what was so beautiful about her. He wanted to see thousands - no, millions - more moments like this one. The day that her passion didn't take his breath away would be the day that he stopped breathing entirely.

"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry."

He actually wasn't. That emotion from her meant everything to him. But he didn't want her to misunderstand. This was never something that he would try to manufacture. Her happiness was the important thing.

She looked up at him over his raised hand and smiled in a way that meant 'I don't want you to worry about it' before releasing him and shrugging her shoulders to lose her vest. Naruto then reached up with both hands to help her remove her white brassiere as she watched him with the same pleasant expression. As he had been longing to see her without the garment, he quickly assisted her in slipping the straps down her arms until he was met by two attractively taut nipples and their muted pink areolae. Alongside her delicate shoulders and subtly muscled arms, it was a sight he always found breathtaking.

Sakura blushed lightly upon seeing his dreamy gaze hadn't left her upper body. She had always felt wanting in comparison to Ino. The desire to cover herself was fighting with a different urge, one which ended up winning. So absent any conscious intent, she pulled back her shoulders so that her bare chest would be a bit more pronounced. She looked down at it and blushed more deeply. A few seconds elapsed.

She looked back up at him and smiled nervously.

"Am I right in thinking that you like getting to see me, Naruto?" she asked, quite coyly despite her cheeks having grown even redder.

But if she hadn't been so embarrassed, she would have been grinning from ear to ear. When she had wondered about what it would be like for the two of them to be intimate, she hadn't envisioned that he would be interested in her modest bosom. She could scarcely believe that something so simple could make her feel this giddy.

Before Naruto could answer the mostly rhetorical question, a gust of cool air drifted into the room.

"Aaah...!" Sakura let out a low yelp which caught Naruto's attention despite sounding rather cute, and he looked up at her. "Geez, it's colder than usual tonight..." she lamented, her arms crossed reflexively over her chest.

The blonde's protective instinct kicked in and he quickly took hold of the bedsheet, wrapping it snugly around her. She beamed at him.

"Thanks, Naruto..." She rested one slender hand on his torso, feeling that he was warm to the touch. "How come you don't get cold?"

Naruto gave her a calm, thoughtful look.

"I don't know..." There was an awkward silence. "... Maybe it's because of Kurama?"

"Hmm," The atmosphere felt completely different. "Yeah, that could be..."

They silently stared at each other for a while until the blonde decided to extend both arms and pull Sakura down on top of him so that she was resting flush against him. The bedsheet unfurled over the two of them as they fell back onto the bed. The surprised pinkette let out a loud moan of pleasure as heat transferred from his upper body to hers. For his part, Naruto flinched a little at the drop in temperature.

"Ooh... This feels so great," She moved her head a little to kiss him on the cheek. "You're just awesome, Naruto..."

Naruto only squeezed her reassuringly in response, after which she exhaled in obvious contentment. Their heads were close enough on the pillow that strands of yellow and pink hair were mingling. She idly ran a hand up and down the length of his right shoulder and arm. It finally occurred to Sakura that not much was happening.

"Er... Naruto?" she queried.

"Yeah?"

"What are we doing now?"

"I'm keeping you warm."

"I know you are..."

"Wanna stay like this for a while?"

"Sure..." She reached under the sheet and pulled her shorts off so that they would both be more comfortable. She kicked them to the side of the bed, leaving her in just her panties. "But, Naruto, we didn't have to stop just because I was cold. I would've been fine after we were both under the covers..."

"Nah, it's okay. We can do that another time."

"But didn't you really feel like... you know, 'being with' me?"

She put so much emphasis on the operative words that Naruto had to smile from a strange kind of amusement.

"I thought I did, but... I guess I just wanted to be reminded that you're mine."

Sakura snorted in amusement.

"Of course I am, you idiot. Have you been paying attention at all?" She laughed outright. "Haha... You're so silly."

"Well... I wouldn't want to miss out on this anyway. We'll have more chances to do that, but I rarely get to see you acting this cute, Sakura-chan."

"Quiet, you," she said, trying to sound stern. It was difficult for someone who was smiling so genuinely. She snuggled in closer to him, moving her left leg to the other side of his body and pulling her knee up to rest just above his waist. "You're so nice and warm... It's not fair... I can't even help myself."

Naruto noticed the new position of Sakura's leg. It felt very smooth where it was resting against his midsection.

It made him feel like a pervert sometimes, but he just enjoyed touching her. It usually wasn't sexual for him. He just thought she was beautiful from head to toe, he wanted to appreciate that beauty using more senses than just his sight, and he liked to show her that he could be respectful. So he reached under the covering and felt along her thigh with a hand. He applied a little pressure and enjoyed how different the firm muscle tissue felt from the softer outer layer of flesh. Her leg twitched a bit.

"Hee... I'm a little ticklish," the pinkette cautioned. She continued in an upbeat and pleasant tone, as he was such a softy when it came to her and she didn't want to discourage him. "But you can do that if you'd like, Naruto. Just be extra gentle, okay sweetheart? I don't like the feeling of being tickled."

The blonde nodded.

"I wouldn't want to do something that makes you uncomfortable."

Sakura smiled warmly. If something was important to her, even if it was a small thing, something silly, he still considered it a serious matter. She loved that about him.

"Don't worry, you did fine. Go on."

So he tried again, this time more slowly. In this way, the pinkette wouldn't feel the sensation of being suddenly poked. His two fingers lightly traced the course of her hamstring down to where it ended in the vulnerable spot at the back of the knee. Naruto knew that an injury there usually meant the end of someone's ninja career. Sakura had once told him that the knee could be rebuilt with medical ninjutsu, but not exactly the way it was before, and the patient usually walked with a limp. So she took pride in the evasion techniques Tsunade had taught her, because it was ideal to entirely avoid getting injured.

It showed, as her body was more or less pristine. The only indications that she had ever been in combat were a few faded scratches, such as the ones on her arm. To win a fight without even being touched was the ideal for a ninja, and especially for a kunoichi. He would never tell her, mostly because she would never agree with him and might even get angry, but he truly felt she was better at being a ninja than he could ever be. He had just been fortunate to have the advantages that he had. He was going to use them to protect her so that she would be safe no matter what, and he really didn't care how anyone else felt about it.

He idly massaged the top of her thigh, smiling a real smile which was wholly different from his grin. Sakura smiled genuinely back at him.

"So is my leg healthy?" she asked cheekily.

"Haha... Yeah," His laugh was full of nervous energy. "It's as perfect as the rest of you."

The pinkette frowned.

"I'm far from perfect, Naruto."

"Well... It's just that to me, you seem that way. You're beautiful, strong, and smart. All I've ever been was strong, and when we met I wasn't even that yet. I'm so lucky to be here with you... I think I didn't completely believe it before... And I think I finally realized that it's really true."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"That what's really true?"

Naruto looked down at the head of pink hair, its strands tickling the side of his neck.

"That I actually have you... You're really in love with me, really all mine... So I get to hold you like this, and in a bunch of other ways too... Sometimes you kiss me, and not for any particular reason, but just because you want to... And sometimes the two of us even have se-"

The pinkette cut in using a pseudo-stentorian tone.

"Hey! Don't get any big ideas, buster. You had your chance. I'll have you know that I've gotten comfortable here. You better not move a muscle."

It wasn't completely out of the question. But Naruto was feeling too joyous to want to change anything. He laughed happily, and Sakura grinned at him.

"Haha... It just makes me really happy. I love being with you. And when I think about how I'll be the one who gets to see it all... All the beautiful and wonderful things you'll do... I can't wait. I'm so excited to be alive."

She put a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto, I want you there with me when I'm doing those things. And I'm going to be there with you for everything that you do, too. But I'm not sure that you won't end up being disappointed with me," She sighed sadly. "I wish I could give you the world. I'd make you the Kage of the entire universe if I could, because you definitely deserve it... But I can't. I'm not royalty, or a goddess. I'm just a normal girl."

He shook his head.

"Even though it's important to me, I could live without any title to my name. But not without you. Never without you. You're not just a normal girl to me. You've never been just normal to me. I just got really lucky and somehow managed to do everything right to win your heart."

Sakura scoffed loudly.

"Pfft... Who says you did everything right? You did almost everything wrong. You've done more dumb things than I can count. You're just lucky that a normal girl like me couldn't help but fall in love with you."

The blonde's smile didn't falter at all.

"Yeah, I acted like such a fool... But I wanted to be with you more than anything, Sakura-chan. To me, you were the most amazing, beautiful person. I thought that the one who got to be with you would be happy forever, because they couldn't feel any other way with you," He looked up at the ceiling, his expression changing to one of serious contemplation. "And the amazing thing is, I was right. If anything, it's even more wonderful than I expected. So you're like my dream. I need to make sure you're always happy here. I don't wanna lose you."

"Well..." The pinkette yawned. "Just keep spending time with me. I love how you always make me feel special, even though I'm only a normal girl."

"Okay. I won't leave you, Sakura-chan."

"Good," She chuckled softly, happy weariness in her voice. "Hehe... I'll have to kick your ass if you do."

"Please don't. Sakura-chan, you know I'll be good. You won't need to," he said quickly and animatedly. He wasn't tired like she was, having napped for so long.

"Mm," Sakura murmured in assent. She couldn't match his energy anymore. It was almost a struggle to lift her head to softly kiss him goodnight, her tongue flitting into his mouth briefly. A few seconds passed and she let go, allowing her head to sink back into the pillow. "That was for you, Naruto."

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the comfort that only one person could give her. Her bed at her parents' home seemed so cold now.

Naruto blinked a few times.

"Why?"

Soft and rhythmic breathing was the only response she gave. The blonde sighed. Her kiss had been so warm and pleasant that he had almost cringed when she pulled away. Now he wished he could kiss her again, or even do what they originally intended. But this was fine. It felt good to just cuddle with her and take care of her. It had been more than enough to make him feel better. Besides, if she would kiss him like that from now on, he felt like he had a lot to look forward to. So he was happy just watching over her. As time passed, he thought at length about how the mostly naked 'normal' girl holding on to him was still quite capable of kicking his ass like she had when they were younger, but she had preferred treating him gently for quite some time now.

Eventually, her lithe form stirred next to his. One bare, pale arm tightened its grasp on him possessively. He noted the satiated expression worn by her proud facial features as she slept. In his mind, he could almost hear her voice offer a reply.

 _"Because I can."_

/

Neither of them had noticed the moment when a black head of hair appeared and disappeared in the long, narrow window that was eight feet high and adjacent to the ceiling. As Lee started to quickly walk away from the building, he froze when he heard the sound of someone's voice.

"Lee-san," said a soft voice. The taijutsu user spun to see a morose-looking Hinata in her chunin vest and dark kunoichi garb. "Um... What was it that you were doing...?"

He stood ramrod-straight with his arms at his sides as he answered.

"Hinata-san... You are mistaken... It was only... I knocked, and no one answered... I wanted to see if anyone was... But they... I..." he stammered quickly.

"Well... That's only going to make you feel worse. Trust me, I know."

Lee's head tilted quizzically. The Hyuga heiress sighed.

"... Byakugan," Her eyes glowed for an instant. Lee's expression became one of understanding. Hinata smiled sadly at him. Then she glanced around nervously. "I have to go... Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"But I..." The blue-haired girl frowned. "Never mind... Farewell, Hinata-san."

She nodded and left, heading towards the Hyuga estate. Lee walked off in the opposite direction, not really going anywhere in particular, and feeling sick again. That really had not been his intention, but if Hinata of all people didn't believe him, then no one would have. So he walked faster.


	20. Yeah, don't get excited yet (AN)

_[Warning: This is either going to be the most awesome AN you've ever read or an utterly miserable experience. You are either going to come away from it really excited about what I'm going to do..._ _Or you're never going to want to think about me or this story again. (not that I expect you've had much cause to do so lately) Just t_ _ry to prepare yourself for either outcome.]_

 _Hi everyone. I know it's been a long time. Hope the holidays treated you well. Happy 2020!_

 _Can't wait to read all the NaruSaku stories this year. Since I'm writing one, I love everything about those two and so I am reading all I can in hopes of creating the perfect NaruSaku work! Wait, no. None of that sounds like something I would say._

 _There's two things that I feel like I need to communicate. The first is (much much) shorter and probably of more interest, but I'd appreciate it if people took the time to read both. After this I can't imagine having much to say beyond things like "Might post another chapter in a little while!" or "Hope you ended up liking the story!" so yeah._

 _1) I have most of two chapters already written. They happen to include a few ideas that people were interested in, so there's something for everyone (and probably also something for everyone to prefer I didn't include.) I'll post them very soon. But the more amazing thing is, someone advised me that the best way to continue this story would be to figure out how I was going to end it. Well, I did that! In fact, I already wrote most of it as well. And I'm still not really sure how to get there from here, or how much I want to/there should be between there and here. But it's a segment that I find so satisfying that it actually melts my brain a little. It takes the themes of the story full circle with lots of the wholehearted emotionalism/sentimentality that made everyone like **Naruto**. Or at least that made me like **Naruto** (although I really DON'T like it very much anymore). _

_The last thing I'd want to do is cheapen the impact of it by not getting there properly or by rushing it, but I feel that I absolutely have to publish it at some point. I'd rather cheapen it than never post it. Right now it's my favorite thing that I've written for this, although in six months or so I probably won't think so (more on this in 2... Fair warning, I don't expect anyone to like all or even most of what I'm saying._ _But when I write/post more of this tale, I want to have a really good feeling about it, like I'm sharing it with people who like some of the things that I like about it too. So_ _I am going to at LENGTH explain what I regret about the story, the pairing, and how people see both. It's LONG but it's IMPORTANT so please try to read it. Take two sittings to read it if you have to. I'm not going to show ANY RESTRAINT (CAPS!) but if you've read the stuff I've written, then you've come to expect that from me. And if you enjoy something like this story then you'll definitely enjoy reading this... I think.)_

 _If you take only one thing away from all this, have it be the knowledge that I fully intend to finish this story in SOME way._

 _2) With the time I spent not thinking about this at all, I've been able to read it again with less of the distorting bias of being its author. And I realize now that I'm probably the most inconsistent author ever. Maybe even more inconsistent than Kishimoto. At times I come up with something and execute it in a way that's absolutely brilliant (and I'm sure someone's going to say, or at least think "Everything you did was fucking awful." Well, I like that about it too, thanks for saying so), and at other times I just try WAY too hard and actually ruin or miss what I was going for by trying to make it really cool all the time._

 _A story needs to have hills and valleys. It can't just be like "Wow, that was cool! Wow, that was cool too! Wow, that was cool 3! 4! 5! 6!" Etc... There has to be lower-impact parts. I understand that and always have. But when I write, I have the MOST trouble with the quiet parts and the EASIEST time with the crazy parts. So I end up including a lot of craziness as a result. It's just how I am for whatever reason. Looking at how certain parts of **Naruto** played out, Kishi might have some of the same issues. But he's probably not as terrible about this as I am. With that in mind, I have to explain/admit something._

 _I didn't portray Sakura the way I wanted to at a couple points. It was not my intention that she be seen as spending every waking hour on Naruto-related things (though due to the framework of this/most purely romantic stories, it is GOING to seem like that sometimes). Goofing around with him is something she has a lot of fun with, but a (mostly) normal relationship is what she has in mind and would make her happy._

 _But I can't and won't deny that I had her say and do too many crazy things. I both understand and respect the fact that some people found her to be creepy/obsessed/codependent/a Yandere/what have you. Part of me wants to explain even more than this but I don't want to ruin something. What I will say is that for anyone who thinks that between Sakura and Naruto, Sakura is the more pathetic/clingy/needy one, you are incorrect that Naruto being the strong one is what I am ultimately going for. I realize that this might sound like a joke. But I swear that it's not. There is a time or two where I meant for her to legitimately be cracking (like the bit about her first moving in - I can't stand how I did that part when I read it again. I think it sucks, but not because of how Sakura acts, because a lot about it comes off as forced), but if you recall, I made Naruto do this too._

 _I will say that most of the time, Sakura is acting shameless/pitiful/weak essentially ON PURPOSE because she just LIKES HOW IT FEELS to be open with Naruto about her fears/wants, seeing that he will not respond by hurting or rejecting her in any way. She's typically stressed, but she's very used to that because she's a neurotic person. She's still in full control of both herself and the situation and just lets herself go in this almost disgusting torrent of emotion because she likes how it feels to abandon her pride/self-consciousness and see that she's still safe and loved despite how negatively she sees herself (deep down, on the surface, or both.)_

 _His unshakable romantic love for her is her kryptonite. It absolutely baffles her and knocks her on her ass and it always will because this is probably the aspect that I like the most. The following is probably obvious, but if Naruto did choose to respond by hating/rejecting/verbally abusing her, she'd understand that and feel like she deserved it for the (real or otherwise) wrongs she believes she has done to him._

 _Naruto does NOT display the same behavior to ANY degree and that may lead some to view him as the (possibly by far) more stable member of the duo, which he is not meant to be. Trust me that this isn't a spoiler, I just didn't do as well as I could have with it._

 _When Sakura DOES fixate on him, it is generally or ULTIMATELY coming from an entirely SELFLESS place based on fear for his welfare, happiness, or some such thing._

 _As I was writing this, I was not very concerned with the possibility that I might be portraying Sakura in a way that some would find unhealthy or even self-destructive... I understand that someone might really like those kinds of ideas, and actually I might too if they were done well, but speaking about JUST this story, it's not something I find desirable. Though I have never understood why this would be seen as something that would not naturally resolve itself and I understand even less why it would be viewed as intolerable. It might not be what I (or someone else) would prefer but it might make something else happen that I would really enjoy!_

 _I would absolutely prefer my (or someone else's...) Sakura to come off in any number of unhealthy ways rather than seeming entitled/superior, or worse, like she doesn't CARE about what's going on. I dislike many aspects of the canonical portrayal of Sakura but_ _I GUARANTEE that they are not the exact same ones you dislike. Some of mine even have nothing to do with a certain duckass-haired individual that you all know and love!_

 _I also cannot stand a lot of fan interpretations of Sakura/NaruSaku. Sorry, but I am just not that kind of a fan or really much of a "fan" at all. I do not hate everything about Sakura liking DuckAssHead, in fact I REALLY LIKE it. I don't think I would really care for Naruto and Sakura together if Sakura had never done so or done so on such a superficial level that it didn't affect anything._

 _So I am the furthest thing from anyone's ideal for this. I respect and like the pairing but there are things I hate about them as well. I am going to tell you what they are because I think that after I do, you are going to understand or at least have an IDEA about why this story is the way it is._

 _To start with: Stagnant, one-sided NS is usually quite awful because Sakura almost NEVER seems to grow, mature, or act like herself, or even act like an actual girl/person (this is to the extent that she is portrayed meaningfully at ALL). So it is not BELIEVABLE or at least not RELATABLE that she manages to inspire such FANATICAL DEVOTION. I know (or rather it's my opinion) that Naruto loved Sakura but unconditional love (by its miserable lonesome) is not something that interests me in a STORY. I do like what might COME FROM IT... For example justifying it, rewarding it, or even ironically PUNISHING IT/showing that it was false or wrong or even FOOLISH, etcetera. I am weird in that I like HAVING THINGS HAPPEN. SHOW me how, why and what he loves about Sakura, take the time to make it POIGNANT. It's as if there's this unspoken assumption by the author that I just know all this stuff already so they're not going to waste my time with it! It's so lazy to take this shortcut because you think someone reading is going to feel the same way about a pairing as you do. Maybe they do, but even if that's the case they'd enjoy it more if you actually showed what both of you apparently like so much._

 _"Oh no, they were nice together in the manga! But now this hurts and is so unfortunate!" I don't care about that at all. Make me BELIEVE IT._

 _I once wrote a fucking awful, long since deleted story where Naruto grew to HATE and ended up KILLING Sakura and even with how HORRIBLE that was (how horribly it was written by me - sorry if this makes you want to read it, but it's really gone. If you're interested in really horrible stories though, just read any of the ones on my profile that aren't "Special" or this one. Maybe even including this one.) ... I thought it was more palatable than that._

 _I have also found myself absolutely revolted by a number of other scenarios I've seen for the pairing, such as the two of them carrying on this torrid emotional affair that both have too much respect for their absolutely PATHETIC families to act on, either that or their balls/spines have not only been surgically removed, but also tossed into an INCINERATOR. Or the bench scene is used as an long-term excuse for Sakura like she's a robot who's programmed to love someone based on that alone, rather than, oh I dunno, maybe her life in totality? Or literally nothing happens and one or both of them have these oh so bittersweet and sad feelings that they are never courageous enough to voice and then one or both of them die. Or any other misguided attempt to twist and distort some shitty part of the canon (usually the ending) to serve some WHOLLY ARTIFICIAL tragedy._

 _It's like... Who gives a shit? Both of you are pitifully spineless, gutless (and possibly brainless) doormats with no attractive qualities whatsoever. You're both awful. I don't see why either of you want the other, but you sure were meant for each other!_

 _Cut away the nonsense and you're left with a portrayal of a pair of COWARDS who are not only unwilling to live for themselves, they're ALSO unwilling to live for each other and this is the least romantic atmosphere there is. It craps all over the idea that these characters are PEOPLE who would like to be HAPPY and I absolutely HATE misanthropic garbage like this. I find it INCREDIBLY tiresome and irritating but mostly just SILLY (If the AUTHOR OF SAKURA RESSENTIMENT finds something silly, then for CRYING OUT LOUD, you know it has to be ABSOLUTELY LUDICROUS.)_

 _Understand: Pathos that requires an IDIOT PLOT or the characters being driven by some aspect that remains entirely unexplored, or motivations that amount to some UNRELATABLE CYBERNETIC BULLSHIT, can evoke NOTHING from me other than ANNOYANCE and REVULSION._

 _Pathos that comes from characters acting like FLAWED people, but PEOPLE, people with WANTS and DREAMS and AMBITIONS beyond the continued THEFT OF OXYGEN from those who were actually DOING SOMETHING WITH IT... is so, SO awesome to me._

 _I get it that people like what they like. But I'm coming from a place that is so far away from those ideas that I not only don't like them, I can't even COMPREHEND why people like them. It literally doesn't make any sense to me at all._

 _To me, Naruto loves Sakura (or fill in anyone loves anyone, and with the reasons that YOU think they do/would. This is how you can get started writing your OWN cringeworthy romantic piece! You're welcome.) because at her best, Sakura doesn't DENY who she IS no matter how AWFUL and SELFISH she thinks that person is. Sakura can be really VIBRANT and COLORFUL. She's VITAL, ALIVE. She OWNS HERSELF. Even if she feels utterly ASHAMED to do so. She's really PASSIONATE and CARING and CUTE and FUN and SMART and all these OTHER THINGS that Naruto likes and she also DOES all these DIFFERENT THINGS THAT HE LIKES. If she has lost ALL or even a MAJORITY of these qualities then I can't say whether or not he'd continue to love her but I know I don't want to read about him doing so... BECAUSE I DO NOT LIKE, RELATE TO, OR UNDERSTAND THAT._

 _(If there's someone wondering whether or not I stole a small part of the above from somewhere... I just w_ _anna say that I like you a lot. I'm happy that someone as cool as you has read and maybe even liked something I wrote. Feel free to read the rest of this diatribe in the same fashion because that strikes me as strangely appropriate. Haha, yup, the whole thing! If you're really out there, that is. If not, don't worry about this at all.)_

 _I do not understand the appeal of a story about two broken people named Naruto and Sakura who are not even Naruto and Sakura anymore and on top of that they don't even really do anything. Just END the story before it even begins. "Naruto was never able to get Sakura to love him for real or at least he didn't think so and so he became fucking miserable and by the way, Sakura was also miserable because she really did love him but never said anything for some reason. The end."_

 _I mean, that's awesome. Tragic. I got it. I'm not even joking - I just pictured that scenario in my head and it was a thousand times more impactful than any of these soporific narratives because it didn't WASTE MY TIME._

 _Please, if you're reading this and you're a fictional character: Try to KISS or FUCK or HURT or HELP or just do SOMETHING with the person you love... Or HUMILIATE, DISGRACE or DESTROY yourself in the attempt. Just DO SOMETHING. Don't tell me "There's something I want, but I sit around and wait for the sweet embrace of death to take me because of X thing you don't care about, and Y that is supposed to be important to me even though I don't act like it is... plus I'm way too Z, which is tragic but in character for me according to manga chapter 997, page 10"_

 _You clearly DON'T want that thing very much. If you did, you would not allow these inane ABSTRACTIONS to CRIPPLE you. You definitely like the IDEA of having it, but you do not WANT it nor would you even appreciate it if you had it._ _There is nothing romantic or admirable about taking this s_ _elf-absorbed approach to everything except when it might make you happy or produce some kind of interesting result._ _Ultimately, a character in a story will be evaluated based on their ACTIONS, and it's time you did the math._

 _Yup! You're worthless. So i_ _f DOING NOTHING is your MO... Then l_ _et someone else be the main character, because_ _I don't know you._

 _And I don't WANT to know you._

 _Is the message with this simply "Look, look, Kishimoto did the wrong thing!"?_ _If so, that's fucking asinine. What an absolute waste of time. To read but ESPECIALLY to write because that takes SO MUCH LONGER. But it must be, because no other fandom does this that I've seen. If you read similar-themed fanfiction about Goku and Bulma for instance, then Goku either kisses Bulma or sleeps with Bulma or marries Bulma or the absolute worst case scenario: Bulma is LITERALLY on her fucking deathbed and both Goku and Bulma start crying because they know it's too late to do any of the aforementioned._

 _The last one definitely exists and I would NEVER mock it or anything like it, in fact I respect it. I'm that kind of writer too. If you have a specific idea that you REALLY like, then do EXACTLY THAT. Don't just do something REMINISCENT OF IT because you're afraid to come off as cheesy/melodramatic/silly/whatever. Don't compromise in the slightest! Why would you? Because you think people might make fun of it? To HELL with them if they do. Have FUN! But I digress... The point is, these situations are interesting! Really significant things are happening! It's impossible (at least for me) to hate something like that._

 _Many people hate Duck-Ass-Guy because he's this big depressive emo piece of crap. You want to know why I don't and could never hate him? You want to know why I (in moderation) actually LIKE him? I shouldn't even have to say it at this point, but he is not BORING. He's a man (or duck) of action. He goes out and DOES things that HE thinks are RIGHTEOUS, or JUSTIFIED, or he simply WANTS TO DO THEM. Yes, they're often TERRIBLE and CRUEL and above all STUPID things that make everything SO MUCH WORSE. But guess what? That's good! (for a story!) The most human thing about him is how he makes horrible decisions that hurt everyone including himself. That's a part of life and lots of great emotion will come from that. He's a PERSON in that way and YES, he is even relatable._

 _Before you ask, no, I don't know how Sakura in particular might end up loving him. But if one of the above scenarios or something similar is truly of interest to you... then maybe, and I know it's going to hurt, but SERIOUSLY CONSIDER IT YOURSELF? Because it's IMPORTANT that when you write a character, you make them ACT LIKE A PERSON._

 _If YOU do not understand why something happened, if you as the author cannot EXPLAIN why something happened (in a SATISFYING way), then it should NOT be a SIGNIFICANT motivation for your characters. Because y_ _ou cheapen the pairing if your characters come off as LIFELESS and INHUMAN. You greatly WEAKEN the impact of it by presenting the alternative as so DISMAL that being with NO ONE or even being DEAD would be preferable. If NaruSaku is so wonderful, then they should want to be together even if they could instead be with any NUMBER of AMAZING and ATTRACTIVE PEOPLE... or even ALL OF THEM AT ONCE._

 _Right? Does anyone disagree with the above paragraph? Or even find something in it to be anything other than insultingly obvious? Regardless, i_ _f this sort of thing is something you have done, do, or even WANT to do... Then please just try this once._

 _Come up with a lively, fun, cute Sakura of your own (or just take the aspects from Kishimoto's that you like), someone who you think Naruto (YOUR idea of Naruto or again some segment of Kishi's) would love more than anything, and put her with Duckface but have her be DOING WELL with that rather than being a BRAINDEAD, PARALYZED DOLL. I know it sounds painful, but understand that you have ENDLESS possibilities. You don't HAVE to let canon or ESPECIALLY headcanon dictate anything, it's actually up to you!_ _Maybe you could have Duckboy grow into a warm, interesting and/or rewarding person to be with as opposed to what you and Kishi think he should be like. Try writing at least one short and nice scene in which young Ducky-kun (or old, Madara-lookalike Ducky-kun - I don't GIVE A SHIT. If you're fixated on details like this, there may be no hope for you. But NOT Naruto wearing his face, no matter how much you would prefer this option) does something kind, sweet, or funny (hell, why not even goofy or silly? There's no limit) ... And it makes Sakura laugh or smile._

 _I'm not kidding when I say that you NEVER see this handled in that way and that it would be fucking COOL..._

 _But you could also do something ELSE. And you don't have to open your mind all the way, just a LITTLE BIT. And if you can't stand any aspect because of something from the manga then simply IGNORE it or STATE THAT IT PLAYED OUT DIFFERENTLY, but do NOT make the characters ignore it FOR YOU because that's DUMB and it will RUIN your story. Let GO of any considerations other than the story because it's ALL THAT MATTERS HERE. If you feel it necessary, then explore this VERY slowly and cautiously like a child. I promise you it's WORTH it.  
_

 _Alright. You've done that stuff? Now - and ONLY now - you have the right to bring Naruto into it and have him be sad, eventually making Sakura sad also because she's only human and so can't make everyone happy (even if she wishes she could)! You've EARNED that right because you tried to paint the characters as people! I appreciate that and I promise to repay you by caring about it at least a little!_

 _So now you can come up with a tragic or (and here's an absolutely crazy idea) happy fate for these characters._ _So many ideas fly into my head even though this is not a concept I even remotely feel like writing. You could have there be a crisis and Duckman dies protecting them in the ultimate repentant act of loyalty to his friends with the hope that they would end up happy together. You could have him start LYING to Sakura (and Naruto) that he just has no interest in being with her any longer. You could have him be a little colder and just bluntly push Sakura towards Naruto, which might make Sakura feel awful about herself, and he then has to deal with a unified Naruto and Sakura being angry/bitter that he treated her like a pawn..._

 _Wait, that's really, really GOOD! Think about it! It would be just like Ducks to not even realize that he was doing something cruel! For the first time, he was really trying to do something selfless for his two friends, but they HATE what he did and might NEVER FORGIVE HIM for it! And he doesn't even understand why since he had noble intentions! He was hurt/betrayed/left alone unexpectedly like Itachi all over again! And he doesn't understand what happened just like he didn't understand what really happened with Itachi! So it's not only thematic, but also ironic, sad, and just plain COOL! That's a REAL and INSPIRED tragedy you wouldn't even normally allow yourself to write! And all you had to do was think about someone a little differently! See how great this can be?_

 _Hmm... You could also have him surrender her, because he felt he HAD to (for whatever reason you want)... But he wasn't REALLY okay with doing so. Then it starts to tear him up inside leading to HORRIBLE results for everyone! But then he sees how much Sakura (now/always/whatever you want) loves Naruto (for instance on the battlefield after he almost kills him with some ridiculously overpowered attack. Like I hinted at before, DON'T be self-conscious and just allow yourself to HAVE FUN) and this helps him to cope with it because he really DOES love Sakura!_ _Or maybe he can move on because he sees that he didn't truly love her now that he has something to compare it to! He's still learning about people/life, which is okay! Naruto and Sakura will forgive him for hurting them since he's still their precious friend and now the three of them can grow together! He can redeem himself later by protecting them/their child/whatever if you want and you find that poignant!_ _Or maybe he can't move on and Sakura has to sacrifice herself! (to death or simply the altar of duckassery)_ _Or another girl or even boy helps him through it and then he falls hard for them since he was touched by how they still cared about him despite feeling like a monster after he selfishly hurt his friends! Or maybe they all die! Or maybe they don't!_

 _There are so many things you could do! You could combine these ideas and others!_ _These were just some ideas in which the Duckster would do something! He's the craziest, but someone else could do something crazy instead/too!_ _You can raise or lower the stakes as much as you'd like and I promise you it'll be really fun!_ _You've gained so many options by expanding your perspective just a LITTLE, and mostly just in regards to ONE character! The one and only (and now lovable and awesome, thanks to the care you've shown) Ducky McQuack!_

 _Point is, you have the beginning and ideas for a (potentially) great story! You can do ANYTHING, and you still have Naruto and Sakura because you didn't ruin them! On top of that, you've even turned Ducky into someone that you might like a lot too! That's THREE characters that you can enjoy! Eventually it'll become as many as you want, because this approach works on characters not named Ducky as well!_

 _You want to know how you managed to do all this cool stuff? Simple. You refused to give in to your temptation to short-sightedly force yourself into the premise: "My characters decide to completely stop acting like themselves, or even like people at all. Surprisingly, it doesn't work out for them." One which will NEVER WORK because I as the reader will end up being FAR more bothered by this than anything you want me to be bothered by. Unlike you, I was not against what Kishimoto did because of a pairing, but because it made NO SENSE to me. If you ALSO approach this in a way that makes no sense, it's WORSE because you are willing to do and show things that he would not. Things that I find appalling (or at best appallingly idiotic.)_

 _So I will not view it as a tragedy but as FARCICAL STUPIDITY. It may make me feel BAD to read it but not because I am MOVED by it, rather because I find it NAUSEATING, or in the best case scenario, I'm being emotionally MANIPULATED by your_ _INFURIATING_ _decision to torture AUTOMATONS who have evidently MURDERED and BUTCHERED two characters that I like because they wanted to WEAR THEIR FACES AS MASKS._

 _Know that there are very few things in existence that bother people more than something that is VERY CLOSE to being a person without ACTUALLY being one. Consider for example the uncanny valley effect, by no means a concept of literature and unrelated but quite interesting._ _You may as well write Naruto and Sakura as zombies or robots for all the difference it would make!_

 _It's not only better, but also EASIER to have your characters live and breathe. A lot of things just happen naturally by thinking about how a typical, flawed (but relatable and human!) person would react to a situation. Even if you make a mistake and they're out of character (as in OOC for how YOU think they are, not Kishi and DEFINITELY NOT SOMEONE ELSE), the reader will appreciate that you tried! And y_ _ou don't have to be this busy puppeteer dangling these goddamned CORPSES on STRINGS._

 _Sorry... I wasn't listening. Too full of myself. What did you say?_

 _I wasted my time? You didn't get past the first step? Having to think about how a pairing that you dislike might work?_

 _Oh. Well, don't expect me to read, then._

 _Making a long, LONG story short, I cannot enjoy something simply because it (supposedly) includes a certain pair of characters and I don't see how anyone can._

 _To be perfectly clear: I do not care about adhering to any specific NaruSaku-associated themes or ideas nor do I care about adhering to any part of the canon beyond what was already established._ _I don't consider myself a quote unquote "fan" of this pairing or any other and I in fact cannot stand the idea of being one. I like them and that's ALL._ _If you are or if you're holding my work to that (or any) standard, you may not like what I've chosen to do._

 _I realize I may have said more than some wanted to know (about this story's Sakura or about the pretentious bastard who wrote her), but I'm hoping it explains why a sentiment like "Naruto is the one who takes charge in the bedroom" sounds INCREDIBLY DUMB to me despite how reasonable it is! I never realized that the character of Naruto was the inspiration for Christian Grey. Even if the canon had established this (try to count all the reasons why this is not the case. You won't be able to), I don't understand why this would matter to me or anyone else who's writing THEIR IDEA. Why wouldn't you just do what you feel like doing?!_

 _I'm not exaggerating when I say that presenting this as advice sounds like an attempt at COMEDY to me. And as criticism would be even FUNNIER. It's so ridiculous. As if my response is going to be to whip out a clipboard and start taking notes: "Hmm... I see... So next time I want to have a scene where Sakura ends up directing or comforting Naruto in some small way, because it strikes me as really sweet and poignant under the circumstances... I actually CAN'T do that, and I should instead write something that doesn't appeal to me as much! Got it."_

 _Had to take a break here because I was about to die (from laughing.) If what I wanted was the exact atmosphere that someone else likes, why would I even have to do ANYTHING? I'd just save myself the effort and enjoy reading whatever they wrote!_

 _Wait... They probably didn't write anything. Even if they did, for some reason I doubt it's very enjoyable. But I'm just being an asshole now. If I wasn't already. Which I think I was._ _Sorry. I guess I'm just as bad as Ducky. I swear neither of us can help it!_

 _By this same token I also don't care if things are realistic/healthy or not. I've had some kind people state that certain aspects or parts of the story strike them as quite realistic or relatable to real life in some way. Thank you, but as Sakura would say, I don't deserve it. It isn't something I find overly important. If it is for you..._ _Well, I have good news and bad news. Bad news first: Some lapse of judgment compelled you to read "Sakura Ressentiment"... But t_ _he good news is that you'll love my other fine literary work entitled "OMG, Sakura Just Became A Real Life Person!"_

 _I just had other priorities. Much like how I'm not preoccupied with how to make Sakura's hair blue, because I feel she'd want it to stay pink. If you want that, go and read someone else's blue-haired Sakura. Now and in the future, it makes no sense at all to tell me that Sakura's hair should be blue, or even worse, that I have neglected to make her hair blue or even failed in my obvious authorial vendetta to give Sakura blue hair. Because I'm not and never was interested in that._

 _In summation and at the risk of being repetitive: I'm writing (or TRYING to write...) what I want to see. If you happen to want to see that TOO, that makes me quite happy, but I will NOT remove even a single comma that I really like even if every other person in the WORLD says it would be better without it. Nor would I ADD a comma that I do NOT like even if doing so would make me a LIVING GOD. I would rather not write anything than taint what I truly wanted to see by CAPITULATING to people. If you consider yourself a fanboy/girl of this pairing and you ASK FOR or even SILENTLY EXPECT such a thing..._

 _Know that you are a HYPOCRITE. I will NOT explain why as this is too long ALREADY. The reason seems obvious to ME... But maybe it really isn't since my thinking is so strange and alien! Regardless, ASK SOMEONE. The point is not that you are but that I cannot understand WHY you would be/think this way. This should not make you feel bad as it's become clear that I understand VERY LITTLE._

 _Finally (FINALLY), I regret that I am so fucking stubborn as an author that when I'm writing, it's just damn the torpedoes and I couldn't care less about the consequences of using certain language if I like the way it sounds at the time. Just wanted to let people know what I was doing with the whole "Oh, always stay with me, never go away ever, you're mine" thing. Or any of its variants. Rereading, I notice_ _d that I_ _have the sophomoric tendency to bash on the same emotional themes over and over again like a psychotic broken record._ _I feel horrible because I KNOW this is going to be hard to accept. But I'm here to help you through it!_

 _I want to start by extending_ _my sincerest apologies to the hundreds, thousands, or most likely millions of you by whom I... was called a genius... /Neji_

 _Heh. Sorry, but I just don't care (Hey, it's repetitive just like the story!) how incendiary this might seem. Trust me, if this seems harsh to you, it seems just as bad or even worse to me. But know that I am not someone who will try to break down a brick wall by smashing my head against it. If I don't have a ladder, I'm stuck. I know that and I am not going to apologize for being what you'd call "not an idiot." If someone DOES bash down the wall with their head (sounds like something Naruto would do), even witnessing it doesn't help me because I'm never going to understand how they did it._

 _See what I'm trying to say? To offer or argue for a lot of these points is going to be an entirely fruitless endeavor because I CANNOT MAKE SENSE OF WHY YOU WOULD EVEN BEGIN TO FEEL THAT WAY_ _. The only thing you can do is attempt to dismantle the way I view or portray something, which even if you succeed, I still won't be swayed to your side as I would rather be BLIND than see things in the myopic way that you do._ _Go try to put out a forest fire by spitting on it because it would be less FUTILE._

 _I am not sure if I have been too subtle about the fact that I don't like pairing fandom or the idea of being a part of it. But if it was unclear, none of this was directed at anyone in particular (to be honest I have a terrible memory for usernames and who has said what even WITHOUT time away), simply the general sentiment that exists._

 _Anyways, that's all. C'mon, don't complain. I warned you it was gonna be like this. I hope some of it was of interest to you!_ _If not, then as I said I'm posting more very soon so maybe that will interest you? If you know that it won't because we have no common ground, don't worry! I swear that I can at least understand THAT. There's a limit to how dense I can be!_

 _And thank you very much for taking the time to read what I wrote._

 _By that I meant the story itself... Sakura Ressentiment... Not this monstrous thing... But thanks for that also!_

 _You knew that? Oh..._

 _Well, that makes things awkward... I guess I should leave, finally._

 _But it was you guys who made it awkward by letting me do all the talking..._

 _Okay, fine... Fine! I'm going._

 _... Uchiha Sasuke._

 _K now I'm really gone._

 _-Dismal_


End file.
